


Shade of Winter

by Steter Club ideas (aneria)



Series: Winter Nights [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 39,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25577737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aneria/pseuds/Steter%20Club%20ideas
Summary: Post Season 1Mates exist, and they go feral or commit suicide if they are separatedStiles is magickThis is how Stiles might cope with Scott's betrayal and Peter's deathThis was suggested by Polgara 6 and Beta'd by nineorfour
Relationships: Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: Winter Nights [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875925
Comments: 55
Kudos: 184





	1. The Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Polgara 6](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Polgara+6).



**February 28th, 2011**

Stiles sadly throws the Molotov at Alpha Peter.

  
Peter catches it in his hand and Stiles manages not to jump up and down in triumph that Peter didn't let it explode.

 _He sympathizes with the man and is damn attracted to him._ If the Argents weren't actively hunting any wolf connected to Peter, he'd have accepted the bite from Peter. _He can't have his dad die or let his dad watch him die because of his life choices._  
  
Allison shoots the jar in Peter's hand with her arrow, and it erupts in a cloud of flames that engulfs Peter.  
  
Stiles jaw drops in shock and dismay. He wants Peter to stop killing. He doesn't want to hurt or kill him.  
  
Jackson throws the other jar at Peter and hits him, engulfing him in another fireball.  
  
God! It grieves Stiles that Peter had to burn again. _That has to be the most horrid punishment for a man that spent years in a coma from being severely burned in the fire that killed his family._ He feels his heart tear into little pieces when Derek rips out Peter's throat to be the new Alpha. He wonders if Derek planned this the whole time.

Scott says Derek told him he needed to be the one to kill Peter for the cure. Damn it!

Now Stiles knows Derek planned the Alpha's death, not necessarily Peter's.

Scott walks to Allison's side, _**with**_ Chris Argent watching, and they drive away in her car.

Chris is deciding if he's going to intercede in their relationship or not. He _**has**_ to ask his wife. _**She**_ makes _**all**_ the decisions.  
  
Jackson gets in his Porsche and drives away.

Stiles silently guarantees Jackson will be back to the Hale house by sun-up to force Derek into turning him with the bite.  
  


Stiles goes home and blankly stares at the walls as he thinks about Peter's blue eyes. They were the color of a cold winter's day when they weren't a beautiful ruby red. _**Oh my god!**_ _He's **in** love with Peter!_ But he _**doesn't**_ know Peter. _**Why**_ does his heart feel this way?  
  
He gets out his Ancient Latin books on werewolves and begins his research. _Lydia's not the only one that knows Ancient Latin._  
  
It takes him three hours, but he finds it. **_Mates!?_** Werewolves have mates that keep them sane and grounded. When they turn their mates, they don't bite them on the side. They do it on their wrist. When they claim them as their mate, it's on their shoulder during the consummation of their relationship. The dominant bites the submissive when they both orgasm together.  
  
This book says that once death severs the connection, the living mate will slowly go insane, _driven by nightmares of grief and loss until they go crazy and kill themselves in despair._ The same thing happens if mates are separated from each other which is a game that hunters play with werewolves so that they become feral enough to hunt.  
  
Stiles already feels the grief in his heart building. _If he hadn't met Peter, he wouldn't have a connection._ Damn it!

Wait! What if he _**didn't**_ remember meeting Peter. _Druids can cast amnesia spells._ It would be as if he _**never**_ met Peter! He doesn't trust Deaton. He doesn't trust Morrell much either. His research of Deaton showed him that Morrell is his sister and he is using the name Deaton meaning Druid because he is the elder of their Druid coven.

Deaton told Stiles that he's a Spark and all he has to do is believe, and he can do the magick. _That was a few years ago when he offered to teach Stiles magick for Talia._ He didn't trust Deaton's formulaic double-speak and vague messages that don't help more than they help. That and his ADHD made him turn down the offer. He did read a few things about druids when he got on his research kick about magick last year.

He grabs a California state map of the counties and spreads it out on the floor. He takes a red pushpin and visualizes his need for a druid he can trust to cast the amnesia spell for him. He slows his breathing and heartbeat and calms himself as much as he can until he feels his skin crawling with energy. Stiles tosses the pin in the air and wills it to land on the location of the druid he needs, believing that this will work.  
  
It finds a spot in a small town (Brownling) that is three cities away.  
  
The book says that he needs something personal, like an amulet or a locket to lock the memory that he wants to forget. All spells have to have a loophole. It has to be something that he can retrieve if he needs it.  
  
It's too late tonight, and he needs sleep.  
  
Stiles lays down and naps for about four or five hours. He dreams of Peter's smirk and his blue eyes before flashing onto Derek standing over Peter's burned body with blood-covered claws and ruby red eyes. He wakes with a start and grips his shirt as his heart hurts with great pain and grief at the loss of Peter.

  
  
**Meanwhile**

In the land of the dead, Peter's angry that he died. He got revenge for his family's massacre, but his flesh and blood killed him to become an Alpha.  
  
Not to mention that worthless pup, Scott, is still having sex with a hunter and denying his wolf instincts in every way possible.

Peter believes he should've forced his wolf (Eclipse) to let him bite Stiles when he refused the bite. If he had bit his mate in the preserve that night instead of Scott, this might not have happened. Stiles even sympathizes with him and his cause. He was even willing to turn away from his killings, that is until he went after the innocent niece (Allison) of the Bitch Kate. He did relish the feeling of ripping through Kate's throat with his bare fingers. _He didn't even use claws._

There has to be a way to live once more. He still has the Alpha power in his soul. He sees that his eyes are still red. _It would take too long to get the banshee crazy enough to wake up her potential sufficiently to cast the wormwood ritual on March's full moon._ What to do? What to do? Most witches won't believe or assist a werewolf ghost in coming back from the dead.  
  
Who or what on this side can bring him back from the dead that hasn't used that ability on themselves? Satan, Demons, Wraiths, or maybe ... he snaps his fingers... _Death._ The Lord of Death himself!  
  


Peter will set out to find Death, as soon as he checks on his mate. 

He finds Stiles staring blankly at the walls and wringing his hands with a tear-streaked face.  
  
Peter guesses that _Stiles is beginning to feel the grief from the loss of his mate even though he doesn't know he has one._ This sight spurs Peter on with a new sense of urgency. He strokes his fingers softly over Stiles' tear-stained cheek and leaves quickly.  
  
He doesn't notice that Stiles felt something touch him and touches his cheek in confusion before opening a hidden panel in his closet where he squirreled away all his old books and begins frantically reading.


	2. Deals and Bargains

**MARCH 1st, 2011**  
  
Stiles cleans himself up, packs a light bag lunch, and writes a farewell note to his dad. He says has to get away from backstabbers, and liars that got him kidnapped, twice. His ribs are still sore from being slammed into that wall by Chris. He feels that he needs to go if he wants to live to see his seventeenth birthday. He adds "Don't follow me. When I feel safe and whole again, I will call you. That could be a long time in the future, though. You are safer without me here drawing bad things to you and this town. Take care of yourself."

  
  
He leaves his keys on the table with the letter and the jeep parked in the drive.  
  
He hunts through his room and digs out all the little baggies of money he earned for writing essays and papers to the many high schoolers and college kids. He's never really counted it and is surprised to find that he has $1,248. He packs a backpack with a couple of pairs of boxers, socks, his favorite jeans, a few t-shirts, and his favorite grey henley.  
  
Stiles runs down to the kitchen and grabs a couple of bottles of water and then slowly walks out the back door. He uses his mind to lock the door like his mom showed him as a child and then hikes cross-country to the town with the druid he seeks. _He knows he needs to live on that money and anything he earns working day labor for a while. He vows not to spend any money unless he absolutely has to._

As he travels he catches rabbits and fish when he can, for food, and boils water from the stream to refill his water bottles.

  
  
It takes a couple of days to get to Brownling.

**Brownling, California**

**March 3rd, 2011**

The druidess is impressed to meet an honest to god spark. She instantly likes him and feels for his plight as they talk over everything that happened to him since his friend was bitten by a werewolf. He thought he would live a normal life as a plain human. No magick needed.

She shakes her head. "Magick draws magick. Supernatural draws supernatural. The facade of a normal plain world crumbles eventually. You're lucky it was before you got sick from not using your powers as your mother did." She's impressed again to discover that his mother died when he was a young child and he has no formal magic training, only what's he learned in books and by instinct.

Stiles found her by believing that he could do it and willing himself to find her.

She writes down an address for an ancient male druid that lives in North Dakoda. She knows he would love to have the company while training Stiles on how to use his magick. Grand Forks is a small town, but it's near an airbase so anyone can find it easily. It's very rural, making it easy to hide at any time.  
  
Stiles explains, "I met my werewolf mate only I didn't know he's my mate. He didn't tell me. He's... he's dead. I saw him die! I feel the intense grief building in my heart even though we weren't in a relationship. Can you cast amnesia and make me forget that I met him? I brought this locket to put my memories of him in."  
  
She studies it and realizes that the locket _**is**_ dear to him. It says Claudia on the back and has a picture of him and his mother in it. She nods. "I can do this. If you ever need to regain these memories, for whatever reason, you need to open this locket. You also need to protect the locket, so no one else can open it."  
  
He nods. "So I need something that only I can trigger, to open it, so that I don't open it by mistake. Something that can happen, but doubtful that it will, unless it's an emergency." He thinks for a minute. "How about, I can't open it until someone that wants me _,_ kisses me, even if it's on the cheek?" _He thinks, like his dad._ "Needing me for some selfish reason doesn't count. _They have to want me because of me and not what I can do for them."_  
  
She nods. "Very well. That meets the criteria." She gets the colored candles and herbs, dims the lights, and tells him to sit in the middle of the circle. "Remember the meeting with your wolf mate that you want to forget. You have to go over every detail of that meeting that you want to forget."  
  
He nods as he sits down. "So only think over and remember everything I want to forget about him? Avoid anything I want to remember after the spell."  
  
She nods. "If there is a part of that meeting that you need to remember so that there's not a hole in your timeline, then you _**don't**_ want to go over those facts."  
  
He nods. He needs to remember that Peter bit Lydia, but not that Peter kidnapped him and offered him the bite.  
  
He remembers going to the hospital with Derek, turning around, and seeing a scarred Peter leaning against the wall. He remembers Peter's sexy purring voice as he says, "You must be Stiles."

  
  
He concentrates on remembering his crouching over Lydia's body to protect her from Peter after he bit her.

He goes over the drive to the parking garage and the small talk they had. He remembers Peter asking about Derek and how to find him.  
  
He relives the body in the trunk and Peter in his personal space as he flirts with him as he establishes his dominance and proves how strong and capable he is. Why didn't he realize that was a werewolf posturing to seduce him?  
  
He goes over showing Peter where Derek was on the computer and that Peter was going to walk away and leave him there, but Stiles was confused and asked why Peter didn't kill him. "I like you, Stiles." He should have realized that Peter meant more than that. The bastard knew that they were mates.  
  
Stiles goes over Peter reaching down, grabbing his wrist, and seductively eyeing it as he makes his pitch, offering him the bite, and then slowly leaning in to bite his wrist, giving Stiles the chance to say no or pull away. It was so hard for him to pull away.

  
  
He goes over Peter leaning into him, sniffing him, as he says he heard Stiles' heart skip over _'be like you.'_ He knew Stiles was lying.

Stiles couldn't trust his voice to deny Peter's claim that he wanted the bite or Peter. _He had to protect his dad and his dad came first._ Peter crushes Stiles' keys and drives away, leaving Stiles doubting if he did the right thing. He knew the Argents were hunting and killing any werewolf, _and their family,_ involved with Peter or the Hales. He can't have his dad tortured or killed, and it would destroy his dad to find Stiles body after he was tortured and killed.  
  
 _ **He had to say no.**_ No matter how much he was dying to say yes.  
  
He remembers that he now knows that a bite on the wrist means mating and how confused and curious that he was Peter went for Stiles' wrist when he bit Lydia and Scott on the side.  
  
That's all he needs to forget about Peter, so he opens his eyes and sees the Druidess standing in front of him with a small crystal, pulling a stream of light from his forehead. When he opens his eyes, the flow stops as it sucks the light into itself.  
  
She takes the crystal and crushes it over the locket. It turns to a fine powder, and the locket sucks in the dust, closes, and locks shut. She says a few ancient Latin words.

He recognizes the phrase, _"unable to open until he who must remember is kissed by one who wants him for who he is and not what he can provide."_  
  
She nods as she says, "So mote it be!" She then moves to hand the sealed locket to him.  
  
He holds up his hand to ward off receiving the amulet and shakes his head. _**"You**_ hold on to that. It's safer with you, and I really don't think I will ever need it."  
  


  
  
  
**Meanwhile**

  
Peter finds Death at the scene of an apartment building inferno. The flames must reach three or four stories high.

  
  


They talk back and forth about Peter's need to live once more and returning to his mate. He negotiates with Death for over an hour before he finds something he can use to bargain with. Death's pissed a necromancer has brought back two souls he wants. _He agrees to give Peter his life back if he collects the souls of **all three.**_  
  
Peter has to do it, but he's not sure if they deserve to die a second time.  
  
Death guarantees that they do. He brings him to a seedy Black magick hangout in lower Los Angeles to prove it. He points out the druidess and the two souls, correction, _people,_ that she brought back.  
  
Peter evilly smiles when he sees it's Gerard and Kate Argent. He quickly agrees to arrange their deaths as an agent of Death and collect their souls in return for his life back.

  
  
Death gives him a bracelet with three stones on it to contain the souls of each of his chosen victims. He steps closer to Peter as he says, "My agents are undetectable to necromancers. Only nature witches can see us because death is a part of life." The man loves to get into people's personal space to intimidate them.  
  
Peter decides that the necromancer needs to go first, and then Gerard, and then Kate.

  
Peter silently follows his three victims around for a few hours. He learns that Gerard and Kate want to take out _or kill_ Stiles, Scott, and Derek.

The Argents have people watching their three chosen targets in Beacon Hills.

Peter's furious to discover that one of the spies is a deputy.

They think Stiles is the easiest target since he's human and their deputy is close to the Sheriff, which puts him close to Stiles.  
  
Peter laughs when Gerard goes into a rage because the deputy lost Stiles. He smiles when the next call makes Gerard turn red in the face as Kate pushes him down in his chair and hands him a shot of Scotch. It seems that Chris caught their spies following Scott and beat the shit out of them. They couldn't report it to the local cops because those spies have warrants. Even Derek is safe from their evil plans because he's placed himself so they can't get close to him.

  
  
Peter can't rest until he checks on how his mate is doing. He needs to see how fast the downward spiral to suicide is moving to see how fast and rushed he is to collect these souls and return to the teen. He silently returns to the Stilinksi household and is shocked. _Stiles_ _has left, without his jeep,_ which upsets Eclipse. _Where could Stiles have gone?_

He concentrates on his mate and feels a fuzzy tingle that upsets his wolf. Magick? He uses the powers of Death's Agents to travel to where he feels Stiles' presence. He _**does**_ find Stiles and his wolf immediately calms when they lay eyes on the teen.

They watch in fascination as the druidess finishes the spell to draw that light out of Stiles and lock it in the locket.

  
  
Peter recognizes the Latin she speaks. He arches his brow when she tries to give the amulet to Stiles.

Stiles shakes his head. "The spell worked, and I've forgotten whatever memory is in that. I won't need those memories again. If by some strange happenstance, I do, it will be safer here with you. Keep it safe. I'm going to North Dakoda to learn proper magick from your ancient druid, and then I'll travel until I feel stable. Dad might look for me because he feels it's his job, but no one will miss me or care that I'm gone." Peter frowns as his wolf growls that his mate feels that he's unwanted. He wants Stiles, desperately.  
  
Stiles leaves, and the Nature Witch turns to Peter's ghost. "You must love him a great deal to make a deal with Death. I'll keep this safe until you can claim it. Stiles forgot that he met you because he already felt the great grief that causes the surviving mate to kill themselves, even if they aren't officially mated. He did this to survive. You'll need this when you come back to claim him. You may make it easier for him to accept you if you are in his dreams. I erased when he met you, but he may still remember a characteristic of you. Don't let him forget that."  
  
Peter nods and returns to following his victim, the necromancer, during the day. He's relieved to know that his mate is safe and found a way to prevent his death from their separation.  
  


**That night**

Peter finds his sleeping mate and enters his dream. At first, he stays in the background and watches Stiles' dreams from the shadows. He's not aware that Stiles sees a man in the shadows watching him.  
  
Stiles has a brief nightmare of Chris threatening him because of Scott.

Peter growls when he realizes this isn't a nightmare, it's a memory. The bastard threatened young Stiles. _His Stiles!_ Peter puffs up with pride when Stiles doesn't show fear. The teen then confronts Argent and informs him that Argent's sister broke the code and _**she**_ started the Hale Arson, on orders from Gerard.

After a few minutes, Stiles realizes he's asleep and changes his dream. Stiles was taught lucid dreaming by his mom when he was a little kid. He's now reclining on the hood of his jeep in a vast field with the sky as blue as Peter's eyes. He knows the shadow man is still there and that the man doesn't mean him harm, so he ignores the man. He watches the clouds as the wind softly blows the scent of jasmine and honeysuckle over him and a sweet musky scent he can't identify. Peter's scent and his cologne.  
  
Peter mutters, "my eyes. He remembers my eyes." He doesn't register the scent on the breeze is his scent. Stiles remembers Peter's scent as well. Peter still believes that he's invisible to Stiles' perception so he moves closer.

  
  
Stiles is looking around like he's lost. "I'm missing something. I've forgotten something important, but I don't know what I'm missing. Why don't I remember? I need something ... or someone. Dad? Not Scott... maybe Melissa... No. **_Who am I missing?"_**  
  
Peter is afraid to meet Stiles, even in his dream, because it could trigger the downward spiral to suicide. It's good to know that Stiles knows he's forgotten someone and that he remembers Peter's winter blue eyes. Eclipse wants Stiles safe and is antsy that they're apart, but seeing that their mate is safe helps calm him. _He **needs** to collect those three souls! _He starts to leave Stiles' dream but turns back. It dawns on him that Death likes to play games with people. Death gets off on toying with people. _Death will more than likely do something so that Peter can't go straight to his mate or the druidess._ He needs something to let him know where to go.  
  
He goes back to the druidess and tells her what he believes.

She agrees. "Peter. One thing you have to know. You're dead. That means that you aren't being affected by the loss of your mate, but it's building up in your body. When you finally do return, and your mate isn't there for you, you'll lose your sanity within a day or two. The longer you are apart the faster it happens. You have got to find Stiles before you become a feral wolf and lose your humanity or you will lose months or years as he tries to teach you that you are human."  
  
Peter drops his jaw in surprise. "How will I know to come here for you or the locket to find him? I've never heard of Brownling before." He hopes that if he loses his humanity that Stiles will be able to help him find it again.  
  
She says, "Give me your cell number. Let me know when you are about to collect your last soul, and I'll send you a picture of Stiles' locket, my face, the sign to Brownling, and my address. Everything else will be up to you."  
  
Peter nods.

He goes back to his fancy apartment in that highrise in downtown Beacon Hills and retrieves his cell phone. _His foresight in putting his cell in a safe place even outsmarted his death by fire._ He smugly double-checks his bank accounts, ensuring his bills are still paid by automatic bill pay. He chuckles gleefully, rubbing his hands together. That means everything is waiting for him whenever he does come back from the dead. He loves outsmarting Derek _and even Death._


	3. The Sheriff Makes a Discovery

**MARCH 15th, 2011**

Sheriff Stilinksi buttons his shirt as he talks with his doctor.  
  
John freezes when his doctor says, "Stiles was right. Your blood pressure is good, but your meds need to be changed or adjusted. The Lasix is a diuretic, or water pill, and you're not drinking enough to maintain your fluids, so you are dehydrated. Dangerously so. It could affect your heart if you don't get enough fluids to relieve the pressure on your heart."  
  
He looks at his notes. "You took a lot of anti-inflammatories, like Motrin, for the headache, which dries you out even more, and the stool softeners you've been using to compensate for the ensuing constipation caused by the Motrin and Ibuprofen will also dehydrate you. If Stiles hadn't caught this, you could have wound up in the hospital from either that or overdosing on the Tylenol. We tell you not to take more than 4,000 mg of acetaminophen in a day because it will shut your liver down and yours is starting to show symptoms. That boy of yours should go to pharmacy school. He probably knows more than your pharmacist does or he would have warned you about this already."  
  
The doctor looks up at John as he finishes writing. "I've adjusted your meds. Here are your new scripts. The next time you start having headaches and constipation at the same time, you come straight to me and don't wait for Stiles to message me to call you into my office again."  
  
John thinks _'no one has seen or heard from Stiles since the end of February. How could I have not thought about him using his computer to keep on top of my medical issues? I assumed he was overhearing conversations before he left. What if he has access to my records.'_  
  
John looks up at the doctor. "I hate to sound dumb or out of the loop, here. But I need to know. Stiles called you and asked you to check me out?"  
  
The doctor looks flustered that he may have done something wrong. "You _**did**_ sign a consent to discuss your treatment, records, and information with Stiles. He always helps me chose your course of treatment that won't interfere with your lifestyle and job. Have things changed? You will need to sign a new form telling me not to inform him."  
  
John waves his hands to calm him down. "No, no. It's fine. I wasn't aware that he was _**that**_ involved with my medical care. I'm not upset. I'm surprised. May I ask when you talked to him last?"  
  
Dr. Pathan thinks. "I received his email with a copy of your routine blood work from the station the day before yesterday. He asked me to email him my notes after your appointment to see what I found and my course of action."  
  
John smiles. "Can you please add something to the email? Here I'll write it out. Stiles and I aren't talking right now, and I'm hoping this might change that."  
  
Dr. Pathan sighs with relief that he's not in trouble. He nods helpfully. He doesn't like being an errand boy, but this is better than losing his license, and _that boy is the only one around here that he can talk with about medicine. Everyone else gives him a blank look and doesn't debate things to point out things that he didn't think about._  
  
John writes a note in Polish.  
  
 _'Stiles. I learned of the wolf issues you were trying to protect me from, by one of the hunters.  
_

_His faith in what he did is shaky, and he says you were hurt because you protected me, your friend, and the wolves. You informed this hunter that his boss and sister lied to him and were using the hunter as a weapon against everyone as they tried to brainwash his daughter.  
_

_Please call me or email me. I miss my son. I understand that you removed yourself from the playing field to protect the pieces, namely me.  
_

_I love you and I'm proud of you, son. If you feel comfortable passing messages through the doctor, I'll settle for that since it is **SOME** form of communication and that's better than nothing. Love dad.'_

**At the station**

Tara is at the front desk filling out some forms when John walks in after his Doctor's visit.

She looks up as she finishes that paper and starts on the next one. "How did it go? It's not like a doctor to ask you to come in from routine lab work run here."

He looks around to see if anyone is paying attention as he walks to the front counter to talk with her. "My medication was too strong, and my headaches were a symptom. My attempts to cure it with over the counter pain killers made it worse. I have to stay away from all Tylenol based meds until my liver gets better and naproxen or ibuprofen until my kidneys get better. He changed my medications."

He writes on the form Tara's filling out _'I may have found a way to contact Stiles. Not sure yet. Still in progress. Due to hunters posing as cops in my precinct and reporting my every move, it may be better if we don't say anything.'_

She looks up at him, nods, and puts this form in the shredder, and starts a new one from scratch.

John sits at his desk and ponders. How did Stiles know I'm taking a lot of Motrin, Tylenol, and stool softeners? Stiles left town to parts unknown. I got those items from different places, so it's not an informant. He can't use the cameras because he's not here. How then?  
  
Tara loudly says, "Sheriff!"  
  
John looks up.  
  
Tara says, "we need your credit card to pay for the take out."  
  
He hands her his card and stops as he looks at it. _His credit card?_ He continues giving it to Tara and then powers up his computer. John goes online and checks the alerts on his credit card. He remembers that Stiles had to replace everything a few years ago because he lost his wallet on the job. Stiles dealt with all the bills. Everything is still getting paid because Stiles set up direct payments. Maybe...  
  
With a lot of backtracking and searching and a call to the helpline, he finds that Stiles set up an alert so that an electronic receipt of all his purchases goes an email account named CheckingThingsForDad@outlook.com.  
  
He sends a quick email to that address. _'Stiles! Please email me! I need to know you're safe. I can verify this is me. I'm not the boogey man.'_

  
He searches his office for the umpteenth time for cameras. The Argents and their methods of keeping informed make him cautious and nervous. He's starting to get paranoid as hell.

He gets a reply from Stiles an hour later. He closes the blinds to his office for privacy while he reads it.

_'Dad. That's Boogeyman. As in one word, not two. Two messages from you in an hour. I must be sloppy. I'm learning magick, so I'm safe and ok here.  
_

_I was kidnapped in Beacon Hills, twice, because of Scott. I don't want anyone hurting you to get to me. Don't trust Scott or Allison. Scott was lying to everyone, and Allison feels like she's one crack away from insane, like all the other females of her family.  
_

_Don't trust Deaton either. I caught him in several lies. He knows I have magick but never helped me learn. He lied about working for the Hales. He worked for the Argent hunters and betrayed the Hales. He knew who Kate was and didn't warn them she was having sex with Derek.  
_

_I love you, too. Get a cheap disposable phone and a CD that plays white noise. You can play the CD to block eavesdropping on our calls. Give me the number of the cell, and I'll call you._

_P.S.  
Listen to your doctor. I don't want you to die because of medical issues that you don't know you have.'_

John fist pumps the air in success. 'Yes! Finally some success. Stiles is okay! He's okay and still looking out for my health and well being. I should be looking out for him. I didn't even notice he was missing for over a week and the keys and note was on the kitchen table. Prominently displayed.

**MARCH 24th, 2011**

Stiles and John are talking on the phone every few days and keep up to date on everything going on in their lives.

Gerard and Kate left Los Angeles a few weeks ago to build their base in Wyoming.  
  


Peter is _**still**_ following the necromancer.

She's a school teacher by day. That's a disturbing thought. Teach kids by day and raise the dead by night.

Peter's been waiting for a way to kill her to pop up, _conveniently._  
  



	4. Who Has the Marshmallows?

**MARCH 24th, 2011**

  
Peter is _**still**_ following the necromancer.

She's a school teacher by day.

He's been waiting for a way to kill her to pop up, _conveniently._

  
  
**Around 11 pm**

There is a brownout in the neighborhood around her house. With no electricity, it starts getting cold in her large house.  
  
 _Tonight is the coldest night so far this year, at 45 degrees Fahrenheit._  
  
The necromancer doesn't like the cold. She builds a raging fire in the fireplace and she's so tired and cold that she doesn't put away the supplies she used before dragging herself off to bed.

  
  
She bundles up and calls the electric company from her bedside phone to complain about the lack of power and heat, or she tries to. She slams the phone back into its cradle with a curse that would make a sailor proud. Her phone is one of those on a system that _**requires**_ electricity to keep charged, and the battery is _**quite**_ dead.

Peter evilly smiles that she can't recharge the phone with no power. She also can't call for help. She's too oldfashioned and too much of a technophobe to have a cell phone.

  
  
Peter smiles demonically to himself as he sabotages her electrical system to ensure that her house doesn't get the power back when the electric company does fix the power grid that failed.  
  
 _This blackout is **too** good of an opportunity to pass up as a chance to take out the necromancer._ He smiles that she won't be around to bring back the Argents when he _ **finally**_ kills them.

  
**Quarter to midnight**

The witch is so cold that her teeth are chattering and she's shivering violently. She gets up in frustration and drags her bed closer to the fireplace. _She has school tomorrow and **needs** her beauty sleep._ She then lights several kerosene lamps throughout her mansion because necromancers know very well what can lurk in the dark and _she's afraid of the dark._  
  
Peter smiles. _It will be so easy to overturn a lamp and start a fire._ He waits until she's fast asleep and then he turns over her can of kerosene near the bed.

It was so nice of her to have wooden floors that are treated not to absorb spills.

  
  
Peter moves the quilt so that it's dragging the ground to give the flames a clear pathway to _**his**_ target. He then moves the firewood so that it's no longer stacked neatly, but scattered to the side of the fireplace and creating a pathway for the fire leading towards her bed. He then reaches into the fireplace, finds a small piece of the burning log, breaks it off, and places it close enough to the firewood to catch it alight, and for it to still look like an accident.  
  
When the firewood is merrily burning, he rolls another burning log out of the fireplace, to land about a foot from her bed, so that the spilled kerosene catches fire. Peter then encourages the raging fire to spread to the sleeping necromancer in her bed.

The Necromancer wakes in confusion as to why she's suddenly so warm, and it's so bright and yet so dark. She notices that strange sound before she sees the dark smoke. It takes a minute for it to register. _What could make that sound?_  
  
The fire quickly climbs the quilt up to the foot of her bed, and she suddenly realizes that her bed is on fire and she is in imminent danger of death. _She's too young and beautiful to die!_ She puts her hand in front of her to cast a spell to stop the flames.

Peter takes on a corporeal and impenetrable form, grabs her wrists, and slams her on her back with a loud oomph as she loses her breath. He's now sitting on her stomach and pinning her hands over her head with one hand as the other clamps over her mouth, effectively preventing her from catching her breath enough to speak a spell. He keeps her there, attempting to scream, as the fire covers both of them. _Peter is an Agent of Death, even if it is temporary, and this makes him immune to the flames and death since he is dead._ He watches in fascination as the flames devour the necromancer lying below him just as they once ravaged over his body so many years before. He waits until the crystal in his bracelet takes her soul as she dies before climbing off her and becomes incorporeal once more. He looks around at the inferno. _He smirks evilly as he says, "One down. Two more to go."_  
  
  
  
 **MEANWHILE**

**North Dakota**

Stiles is playing one last training game with the Ancient.

  
  
Stiles feels the man's presence coming through the trees to his right, so he blends his form in with the shadows of the tree he's hiding behind and covers his body's life essence with the life essence of a rabbit hiding in its burrow below the roots of the tree he hides behind.  
  
The Ancient uses nature magick to try and find the boy. He knows the boy came this way, but he lost his trail about fifty yards back. He can't feel the boy's presence, but _he knows from experience that Stiles' can cloak himself in shadows._ He tries to find the life essence of the boy, and all he can detect is a few birds in the tree branches and a rabbit under a nearby tree's roots. He looks around and then goes in the direction the boy was heading in before he lost his trail. Towards the Ancient's home.  
  
Stiles has taken to always wearing Black Hawthorne ash on his left wrist in a tribalized wolf's head made from a triskele. Its ash takes on that form and shape from Stiles' will and it's not a tattoo. He can wield it as a shield to stop any threat. It moves out and away from him at the merest flick of his will.  
  
  
  
The Ancient passes within inches of where Stiles crouches in the shadow realm.  
  
Once the man is two steps past him, Stiles steps out of the darkness and uses the ash from on his arm to form a tentacle that grabs the man and throws him at a tree.  
  
The man uses his telekinesis to prevent his body from impacting with the tree.  
  
Stiles is instantly on him and has him pinned to the ground. He may not know he uses telekinesis with the ash, but he does know he's using it to make himself strong enough to pin the larger man down. _He's not aware that his pupils are glowing witch-white from using his magic and powers._  
  
  
  
Stiles gets up and helps the man up. They go inside, discussing the Coven that needs a witch protector to help them stop a feral creature. _It's attacking and killing the people around their little town._

The Ancient gives Stiles a fatherly smile. "Good job, Stiles. Your ability to hide your presence and your hand to hand fighting skills make you a force to be reckoned with."

  
  
**AROUND MIDNIGHT**

Stiles packs his small backpack as he thanks the old Druid. "Thanks for teaching me everything. I appreciate it, and I will continue to study, practice, and learn everything I can. I'll get every coven I help to let me read some of there grimoires and bestiaries as part of the payment." He looks up at the Ancient. "I'm going to take this job to help that coven in Minnesota. I still haven't have figured out who I'm missing, and I don't think I should. _I don't feel as though I belong **anywhere**._ Until I find a place that I do, I will travel around protecting people from ferals and hunters."  
  
The Druid nods. "Take care of yourself lad. You have a real talent for magick. _You're the first person I've seen that specializes in shadow magic and illusions but also can use nature magick as well."_  
  
Stiles scratches his head. "To me, everything in nature has a shadow except for fire, and life hides things as an oasis and heat do. To me, it makes sense that I can cloak myself in shadows and illusion. It helps that I don't want to be found by people in my past that I no longer trust."  
  
The Druid pats Stiles' shoulder. "My door is always open for you, kid. Come back and visit me anytime. I enjoy your company."  
  
Stiles turns and hugs him. "Thanks for everything. You're like the Uncle I never had. I'll be back to visit."  
  
Peter materializes in the shadows but still invisible to them. He watches the entire exchange and worries about his mate's safety on a magical protection job. _Who does Stiles think he is?_  
  
Stiles walks out the door, and before Peter can follow through the door, Death steps out of the shadows. "Peter! He is your mate for a reason. Don't doubt the boy's ability merely because he's young. I have watched him practice magick. He is unparalleled in Illusions and Shadow Magick." Death looks after Stiles' path. "I look forward to making a deal with the boy for your sake. _He will do just as much to protect you as you have for him, and I'm sure he **will** remember you in time."_  
  
  
  
Death points out the window to a tree that looks like a pretzel. "The boy did that after that old Druid brought it to life to attack him. The boy is just as capable with nature magick as any Druid or Witch." He looks at Peter. "Good work with killing the Necromancer. Might I ask why you chose her first? I figured with your previous dealings with the Argents that you would have gone after Kate first and let Gerard watch as you kill his precious daughter."  
  
Peter laughs. "Nothing is precious to that bastard. I killed her first so that she can't bring them back after I kill them. Gerard controls Kate and he's the real brain. I want Kate to watch me kill Gerard so she can feel some of the pain of loss that I felt when I watched my family burn with me. She deserves the mental torture and anguish that she made my nephew live through."  
  
Death laughs. "Ahh! Gerard is your next target then! I can't wait to see how you take his life and collect his soul for me. It does sound as though you intend for Kate to watch the spectacle."

_Peter thinks, 'Kate and all the hunters.'_

The wind blows the door open with a bang.

Peter looks at the door, and when he looks back, Death is gone. Peter growls at the thought of Death using him to force Stiles into a deal, and then Peter is gone as well.

  
  
**MEANWHILE**

**Los Angeles**

Gerard and Kate are packing for a hunting trip to Minnesota. Kate says, "whatever is killing people isn't a wolf, but it is feral."  
  
Gerard says, "wolves don't partially eat their victims. It's eating their prey and starts with the limbs and not the torso. That means it's feral and it's not eating them for power, it's for food, and for whatever reason, this creature prefers humans. I'm thinking it may be a Windigo."


	5. A  Shade is Born

**MARCH 26th, 2011**

**Los Angeles**  
  
Gerard and Kate pack for Minnesota. Their contacts told them that a supernatural creature is killing and eating people.

Kate says, "it isn't a wolf, but it is feral. Do we have any idea what we're hunting?"  
  
Gerard says, "wolves don't eat their victims. It's eating the limbs and not the torso. It's a feral. It's not killing for power. It's killing for food. This creature prefers human meat. I personally think it's a Windigo."

  
  
**ALEXANDRIA, MINNESOTA**

Stiles arrives at the coven's gathering place. He doesn't want his protection jobs to affect his dad's safety or his job. He thinks that this is a perfect time to become someone new, with no past — no ties to anything or anyone. _His magick works with shadows and illusions._ What shall he call himself? After a few minutes of pondering _Stiles_ _introduces himself as **"Shade,**_ _**Shade Gaia."**_ _He'll ask his dad for a fake ID for Shade Gaia_.

The Witches explain that something supernatural is killing campers in the woods. It also killed a kid on the outskirts of town as he dumped the garbage in a dumpster. They haven't seen what it is or been able to track it. It's feral and therefore not reasoning so they can't anticipate when or where it will attack next. It eats some victims where it kills them while some are taken somewhere, devoured, and then dumped in the woods. It most likely doesn't want to defile its nest with the corpses of its kills. They think the creature must have been interrupted, or there were too many people around to feel comfortable eating its meal where it killed them.  
  
Stiles nods as he thinks of how to trace it. He begins mentally building a spell that will lead him on the right path of the creature.

 _It's midday, and the creature attacks around sunset, or in the first few hours of darkness._  
  
Stiles is tired from the hike and the long Greyhound bus. The Witches lend him a warm, comfortable bed.  
  
 _At dusk, Stiles goes hunting for the creature._ He runs over the spell he made in his mind to tweak it one last time. He then casts the spell he's made in English first, so he can translate it into Latin. Only. It works when he says it in English. He's so thrilled. That means it doesn't matter what language he says his spells in as long as he believes they will work.

**The spell**

_nature reveal that which is hidden_

_sight unseen of the true path_

_shadows penetrated as I have bidden_

_light the clues for my path_

_show me what will lead me to the truth_

The path that the creature took from his last kill is revealed to his eyes and his alone. It's a little dim because it's days old, but he can make it out.

Stiles tracks the creature for over an hour before a group of hunters attack him.

Peter arrives to check on his mate and stands, invisibly, in the shadows as Stiles fights off the hunters.

Stiles knocks out three of them but the last one fights dirty and Stiles doesn't know how to deal with that. He fights well but is eventually pinned to the ground with the man over him, holding a knife to his heart and the man's knee wedged into his ribs.

  
  
Death holds Peter back. "Calm down, wolf! Shade, or Stiles rather, isn't going to die, or we would know. Wait. See what happens. He's strong, powerful, and a capable young man. He _**is**_ a man now, not the boy you're waiting on to mature."  
  
Peter wants to protect his mate, but he understands that Death is correct. He still doesn't like it! He sulks as he watches from whatever plane Death and his agents use to travel.  
  
Stiles does rather well as he fights the hunter in hand-to-hand.  
  
The bastard pulls on a few underhanded black ops tricks and tactics to get the advantage.

Stiles lands on the ground, hard, with a sore groin and a knife at his heart and the bastard's knee in his abdomen making it hard to breathe. He's instantly pushing up and away on the hand with the knife to protect himself. He knows that the hunter has more leverage than he does.  
  
  
  
Stiles asks, "what the hell?! Why attack me? A wild animal is running around, somewhere. You could have attracted its attention or sent it running with all the commotion you made attacking me."  
  
The man says, "I'm aware of that, _**kid.**_ That's why we're here. Gerard sent me to track it to its lair. He'll be happy to know that I captured _the little boy_ he lost in Beacon Hills."  
  
Stiles snarls. "Gerard? I heard he died of a heart attack when Kate died."  
  
The man says, "They're both back from the dead because his necromancer is powerful. Boys! Tie up this kid for the boss."

Stiles scoffs. "That's what you think, asshole." He relaxes back into the shadows and is gone.  
  
The man looks around as he tries to figure out where and how the boy disappeared. He shouts. "Find him! He couldn't have gone far!"  
  
The man's lieutenant asks, "how did he do that? He just vanished."  
  
The hunter says, "he must be a witch. I don't know what magic he used. I didn't see him use a spell. It must be an innate ability."  
  
A short distance away Death and Peter watch Stiles climb out of the ground. He's still cloaked in shadows so the hunters can't see him. His eyes begin glowing white, allowing him to see clearly in the near darkness that is his domain. _Now that he's in the shadow realm it's like being in full daylight for him._ He can clearly see the tracks of the creature. It's like it left him a blazingly marked road, _just for him._  
  
  
  
He takes the hunter's fallen knife and follows the tracks to an abandoned mine in the valley, in disrepair. The entrance is heavily overgrown with bushes and shrubs. Stiles spots a piece of fabric hanging from one of the bushes. He shifts his form so that it's as fluid as a shadowy smoke and walks into the mine.

Even in the tunnel, it is bright as day for him. He continues following the tracks. He stops when he hears a strange crackling. _It sounds like the breaking of a lot of twigs or maybe bones._ _God, he hopes that's not bone! He hopes that ripping noise isn't flesh that the creature is tearing apart._

  
Stiles follows the sounds he hears as Peter and Death stealthily follow him, unbeknownst to the lad. They don't have to be stealthy, because, in this realm, only another agent of Death can perceive their presence.  
  
Stiles reaches the sound as it tapers off and ends, only to silently gag. _That sound **was** the creature tearing apart a man and eating him._

__

A little boy is tied to a post in the corner, cowering and silently crying for the dead man.  
  
The creature finishes its meal and turns toward the boy with its teeth bared and a hungry growl. He wants his dessert.

Stiles steps between the creature and the boy, still unseen. He deftly drives the knife down into the head of the beast as hard as he can. _Just like in Dungeons and Dragons, making an attack while invisible makes you visible._ It pulls Stiles back into the real world where the boy can see him.

 _The young boy looks like he's barely seven-years-old. His eyes light up with hope as the monster falls to the ground with its last death gurgle_.

Stiles is now half blind like the human boy because of how dark it is. He wills the lantern in the far corner to glow brighter so they can see. He wants to ensure they are alone. He can't sense any other _living_ creature in their vicinity. He rushes to the boy and unties him.  
  
The terrified boy says, "hurry! We have to get out of here before the daddy monster comes back. It's going to be mad the mommy is dead."  
  
Stiles sets the creature on fire as he mutters. "Just my luck! It _**would**_ have a mate."

  
  
They rush outside and get in the dead man's car. As they close the door, they hear a loud grief-ridden howl and then an angry roar inside the mine.  
  
Stiles has to keep the boy safe and draw the creature away from the mine where _ **it** _feels safe. _**He needs it off-center.**_ There are no keys in the car! Damn! The man must have had the keys on him. Damn! He touches the key slot and believes he has a key in his hand. An invisible key. He turns the key and the engine purrs to life. "Yes!" He backs up and takes off with a loud screech of tires, attracting the beast.

The boy has wide, terrified eyes as he watches out the windows for the creature. "Who are you!"

Stiles says, "you can call me Shade. Shade Gaia. I'm a witch that was sent to stop that feral creature from killing anyone else." _He drives the boy back to the roadside turnoff to the mine and then slows down so the creature can catch up. The boy should be safe inside the vehicle. Should._  
  
The creature runs in front of the car with a loud growl and roars at them. 

Stiles hits it with the car because he doesn't have time to veer away from the beast blocking the road as it howls in anger at them. The car doesn't frighten it in any way.  
  
The impact crumples the front end of the car and stops the station wagon in its tracks. It's like he just hit a stone statue. The creature roars in fury, giving Stiles a weird feeling. "Deja vu!" It reminds him of... the Alpha chasing him... at the school. That can't be right because Stiles wasn't with Scott that night. Was he? _**Where**_ was he then?

Death and Peter look at each other. "How?"  
  
Death shrugs. "His memories of you are trying to resurface. I suggest you collect my souls and get to your mate soon. I would hate for him to die from mate separation induced suicide."  
  
Peter nods. He feels more rushed to collect now.

Stiles tells the boy to stay in the car. He pulls out the hunter's knife and then uses his ability with shadows to step behind the creature. He can travel instantly to and from anywhere within the shadows. Distance has no measure as long as the shadows are connected, like they are at night time, _the shadow of darkness connects everything in darkness together._ It's not teleportation; it's more like bending space as they did in the movie _Dune. It's like creating your own personal wormhole._ Stiles gets a good look at the creature. It's on four legs and looks like the body of an ape with a large snout with fanged teeth. _That is not a Wendigo! Not unless Wendigos mated with Bigfoot and that's their baby!_  
  
Stiles attacks, but it moves as the last moment and his attack on the thing's head misses.

The monster turns when it detects Stile's presence and rakes its long claws across his arm, shoulder, and face.

Stiles guesses from the white eyes that the creature is blind as a bat in the light, and the light hurts its eyes. That's why it hunts at night. He grunts and quickly assesses that he's received only superficial wounds. He ignores them, driving the knife into the creature's heart, killing it. He catches his breath as the crying boy runs out of the car and into his arms.  
  
 _Headlights. Headlights are approaching._

Stiles senses that it's a woman and the boy will be safe with her. He leans down to the boy. "That car will help you. I have to go. Tell her that thing killed your dad."

The boy nods as Stiles steps back, becoming part of the shadows. He focuses on the coven's house and uses the shadows and darkness of night as a tunnel to jump there in a split second.  
  
The Head Witch cleans his wounds as the others walk around discussing how to stay hidden in the wake of the creature's destruction. She uses magic to help heal the gashes in his face.

Stiles says, "both it and its mate are dead. A woman is driving into town with a little boy that survived its last attack. It ate his dad, _in front of him._ The boy's going to be traumatized."  
  
  
  
 _Lacey Ilse stops her vehicle near Alexandria, Minnesota, and finds a strange dead creature on the side of the road._ She doesn't say anything about the boy that she plans to adopt. She's wanted a child for a long time.  
  
The social worker is a witch in the local coven. They want the child to be able to move on and have a good life, so they put through the adoption in record time.

To show their appreciation to Shade, the local witch coven gives him a motorcycle and give him the gear he needs for riding for long periods, hiding his face and shielding his body with an impenetrable magical mesh armor that looks like a riding suit.  
  
He gives them his phone number and tells them to leave a voicemail if they need him or know anyone that does _. It worked for the Winchesters._

**Raymond, Minnesota**

He rides an hour south to Raymond before he stops. He doesn't bother with a hotel because he can sleep in the woods. He can work in the day labor pool tomorrow for money, that he doesn't really need yet, but it's nice to have. He calls his dad and explains that he didn't know how to deal with the hunter's dirty tactics in street fighting and got his ass kicked and came close to getting killed.

His dad gives him the address of a Mercenary he trusts in Las Vegas. _Eliot Spencer._

He also asks his dad for an ID under the name _Shade Gaia._

John will send that to Eliot's house in Vegas.


	6. Whose Familiar with Familiars?

**MARCH 27th, 2011**

**ALEXANDRIA, MINNESOTA**

Gerard, Kate, and four other hunters arrive. They meet up with the hunters that came ahead to scout and locate the creature at a rest stop just outside of town.

Mic says, "I'm sure it was that Stiles kid from Beacon Hills. He said that he knew you died of a heart attack after Kate died. He wasn't thrilled to find out your witch brought you back from the dead. We were going to tie him up for you, _but he just disappeared._ We couldn't find any trace of him after that. He took my knife with him."

Kate asks, "knives are easily replaced. What about the creature?"

Donovan says, "a woman hit it with her car and killed the thing. The local veterinarian thinks it was a wild boar with an unknown disease. He burned the creature to prevent spreading that disease before we could get a look at it."

Kate scoffs, "how convenient."

Sanders says, "none of the locals will talk about it. They deny any animal attacks ever occurred and we can't prove that it did because there's no files, reports, or articles on it. What little information we have, came from a medical examiner that is now terrified of losing his job and reneged on everything he told us. All I can find is that a few hikers disappeared in the forest, but rangers found their remains. Their deaths were considered natural causes from falls, and the wild animals in the area ate the remains."

Kate shakes her head. "So there's nothing we can hunt or prove as supernatural? Everything was swept under the rug and buried! _**OOH!**_ _That makes me so mad!_ We can't do anything about Beacon Hills, and now we can't do anything here either! That blasted Stilinski kid is all to blame!"

Gerard sighs. "I'm going back to my necromancer mistress to see what she has to say."

Kate thinks. "I'm coming with you. I want to see if she has any ideas on how to lure that werewolf bastard, Derek Hale, or that whelp Scott McCall out of Beacon Hills so we can settle the score with them, the bastards! Those mutts need to be put down!"

**Raymond, Minnesota**

Stiles checks into a day labor site and gets a job for the day. Roofing houses. He's a fast learner and his handy-dandy Google and YouTube searching skills help him figure it out tremendously faast.

Four new guys join him on the roof as he's learning how to professionally shingle a roof. He feels the unnaturalness of their presence before he sees them. He closes his eyes and allows his sense to tell him what they are. The musky scent is similar to animals, to Derek. _Aw hell_! He looks up and spots them. He can see their wolf spirits swirling around their bodies. "Great! Just great! Werewolves! Damn it!" He doesn't need this kind of drama. He just wants to be anonymous today, but oh no, he has to run into nomadic werewolf construction workers. Why him. How is this his life?

They turn and look at him when they hear his swearing. _They freeze when they hear the word **werewolves.**_ Their leader walks over to Stiles and offers to help with his corner of the roof as the others squat down to work on a section about ten yards away. 

Stiles looks at the Twenty-something-year-old blonde werewolf. "Look. I don't have a problem with your kind. My ex-best friend is one. I'm moving on to the next town after we get paid. Leave me alone, and I will leave you alone."

Sawyer asks, "what could you possibly do against us? We aren't weak humans."

Stiles smirks, flicks his hand, and the pile of shingles on the ground below them flies up and lands next to him in a neat stack as he shines his Witch-white eyes at Sawyer. "I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself, wolf. Leave me alone! I don't have a problem with defending myself."

Sawyer holds out his hand in greeting. "I'm Sawyer. We don't mean you any harm. We just wanted to ensure you aren't a hunter." He looks down at the ground and then at the stack of tiles. "I don't consider witches weak or human." He smiles warmly at Stiles.

Stiles takes his hand and shakes it firmly. "Call me, Shade. I dislike hunters as much as you do."

The five of them talk about their unfortunate run-ins with hunters as they work. They are a little surprised that Stiles had a run-in with the _Argents_. They managed to avoid the Argents, Calaveras, Winchesters, and a few others. They are a nomadic group. Never staying too long in one place after hunters killed their various families. They were all turned by feral wolves except Sawyer. He was born that way.

By the end of the day, the werewolves and Stiles are good friends. _They exchange phone numbers as they part company._

They wish Stiles good luck on his travels and promise to keep in touch.

Stiles collects his hundred and twenty dollars, cash, for his twelve hours of work, and leaves for Vegas to meet the mercenary friend of his dad's.

**LATE THAT NIGHT**

**Los Angeles**

Gerard and Kate arrive at the necromancer's house only to find a burned-out shell of a house.

They learn from the neighbor that the power was out a few nights ago, on the coldest night of the year. The woman was trying to stay warm with a log fire and started a house fire, accidentally. _She burned to death in her bed._ She moved it in closer to the fireplace because of how cold it was in her big house and she didn't pick up the wood chips and broken firewood or the spilled kerosene from her kerosene lamps. A log rolled out of the fire and set fire to the wood and kerosene. That fire quickly spread to her bed and killed her.

They investigate the house and can't find a _ **ny**_ evidence that it was foul play. _It appears to be an accident and nothing more._ Their instincts tell them that the timing of the fire isn't a coincidence and that this was murder. They just can't prove it.

Gerard is furious because that was his ticket to get out of death. Not to mention that she was his mistress. She was the main reason other hunters didn't question him. Having a powerful witch wrapped around your finger is a good incentive to obey him.

Kate whines like a teenage girl, "now what do we do? Do you have any other witch contacts?"

Gerard sighs. "Just Alan Deaton." _He calls Deaton and orders him to take a drive out here and look at the scene. Gerard needs Deaton to see if magick **was** involved in the death of his mistress._

**MARCH 28th, 2011**

**Los Angeles**

Deaton drives to Los Angeles and meets with Gerard and get a look at the scene of the house fire.

He looks around at everything. "Hmm. It doesn't make sense. Why didn't she cast a spell to save herself? She could have run away from the fire just as easily. Let me see the pictures from when the cops found her."

Deaton examines them and then pulls out his smartphone. He uses the magnify app and looks at a close up of her body. He Hmms a couple of times as he changes the angle and magnification. "This looks like someone sat on her and held her down while she burned. It would have been something immune to fire. Nothing human can do that. Magic wasn't used, but something supernatural. Something immune to fire sat on her, covering her mouth and pinning her down so she couldn't use magick. Did she have any enemies that could have done this? Did any witches curse her?"

Gerard shakes his head. "Not that I know off. I can't think of any witch that would want to cross such a powerful Necromancer."

In the tree outside of the window, red eyes watch in anger. Peter's fangs extend in anger as he watched Deaton helping the Argents. _The bastard is in their pocket_. Stiles was right. _It was entirely too convenient that he mentioned he worked for Talia and the fact that neither Derek nor Peter knew anything about his connection to Talia._ He wants to add Deaton to the list of deaths at his disposal.

**ON THE ROAD  
**

Stiles rides his motorcycle until 11 pm.

He pulls off at a rest stop and then hikes back in the woods, pushing his bike, and sets up a comfortable camping spot.

He remembers one of the witches from the last coven saying that if he had a Familiar with him, it would have helped protect him so that creature wouldn't have gotten so close. He pulls out his _Magick Textbook_ and the few books he has to read on magick that he got from the Ancient and researches familiars.

It appears that in towns with established covens, the witches breed their familiars from supernatural creatures like goblins, imps, dryads, and the like. _Sometimes lone Witches without any magical training or background can cast a spell to find a wildling willing to serve and protect them in exchange for protection, being cared for, and an animal form that allows them to pass more freely in the human world as their pets._ The advantage of having a wildling, notably similar in gifts to your own is that they can add their power and ability to yours, and they can run errands as well as fight other supernatural creatures. They can also be your eyes and ears if you want to stalk someone for information. They are also good at intimidation. A witch's reputation is higher among other magick users if they have a familiar.

He looks through the books and finds a spell that would locate a wildling familiar that is willing to serve you, but not as a slave, more of a partner. A magickal partner. It works best at midnight. Shade checks his watch and sees it's 11:50. He rushes through reading the spell and finds the perfect place to cast it.

He cast the spell and then waits.

He waits until 1 am, but nothing shows, so he returns to his makeshift campsite with a shrug.

Stiles gets a soda from a vending machine at the nearby rest stop and uses the bathroom. He sees something moving through the shadows. He steps closer and thinks he spots a reptilian tail and glowing eyes. He steps into the shadows so he can see this creature clearer.

It moves into the shadows as well. "Who are you? What are you?"

The creature coils behind a tree and says, "Zerkizok. My name is Zerkizok. Wilkksiezycawyc, I'm a wildling that is offering my services to you as your Witch familiar."

Stiles smiles at him as he asks, "then you won't mind if I use an alignment or trust spell to verify that you want to help me and not hurt me?"

It purrs. "I insist that you do, young one. I want you to trust me."

Stiles casts the spell and sees that this creature is telling the truth. The odd thing is that it's a combination of darkness, death, and nature. "Death? You have an element of death in you?"

It purrs. "Death is a part of life. Between your powers of life and my powers are death, our darkness and illusions, and our aspect of nature, together, we can achieve great things. You can become the supernatural protector you wish to be and I will protect you."

Stiles smiles. "Very well."

It jumps forward and assumes the form of a black cat.

Stiles hears its voice in his head. "You can call me Zerk for short, Stiles."

The cat climbs onto Stiles shoulder, draping itself around his shoulders, and purring as it rests it's head against his.

The two of them talk for a couple of hours as they talk about their families and backgrounds.

Zerk has a sister living in the shadow realm.

They discuss hunters, hopes, dreams, fears, and the future. They soon become fast friends with the combined goal of helping others as they protect innocents and their backgrounds.

_In the shadow of the dead tree nearby, Death smiles that his gift to Stiles was accepted. Well. **Gift** isn't the right word. He'll take his payment for providing Zerk to Stiles for its services later. Wildlings are sometimes the pets of powerful creatures that no longer have a use for them. Zerk would rather be Stiles' familiar than Death's forgotten and ignored pet.  
_

They get some sleep.

**The next morning**

**MARCH 29th, 2011**

Stiles uses the survival skills that he learned from the Ancient to make a fishing line and catch some fish. He gives one to Zerk and cooks his.

Zerk drags his into the shadows, shifts into a shadow beast, and eats the fish with some cracking and slurping noises.

Stiles shivers as he remembers the cracking sound of that horrid beast eating the man.

When Stiles climbs on his bike, Zerk adjusts its weight into the shadows so that it can ride _**with**_ Stiles _**without**_ being seen _**or**_ knocked off.

**Las Vegas**

Stiles drives to a hotel on the strip and meets Eliot.

Eliot greets him with a warm smile and a firm handshake.

Stiles says, "my dad said you could teach me street-fighting. I learned hand to hand, but when I got in a fight with hunters, well, I knocked out three, but the last one fought dirty, and he nearly killed me. I need to be able to protect myself." Stiles subconsciously rubs his chest and Eliot sees a deep cut from a knife blade in his sternum. That was a close call all right.

Eliot leads him into the room. "Your dad's a good man. He saved my skin a couple of times. I'll teach you how to street fight."

Stiles down sits on the bed in the spare room, and the cat jumps off his shoulders, and curls into the pillow. 

Eliot says, "a cat? I'm allergic to cats. Why didn't that set off my allergies?"

Stiles smiles. "This is my familiar, Zerk. He's not a cat. It's just that cats attract less attention, so he looks like a cat."

Eliot looks shocked. "Familiar? Like a witch's familiar?"

Stiles nods.

Zerk draws in shadow and becomes almost invisible in shadow, but you get the impression of bat wings, a snake tail, and glowing eyes before it's a cat again as the shadows disperse.

Stiles scratches behind its ears and listens to it purr as he asks Eliot, "it's not a problem, is it."

Eliot shakes his head. "He's not a real cat or setting off my allergies, so it's fine. He's your responsibility, though."

Stiles nods.


	7. Scarecrows and Argents part 1

**APRIL 11th, 2011**   
**Las Vegas**

Stiles trains with Eliot. Hard and heavy. _His bruises have bruises._ He feels battered beyond compare. The good thing is he's learning how to defend himself. _He occasionally gets the feeling that someone, or something, is watching him. Silently stalking him. That's just his imagination though. Isn't it? It **has** to be his PTSD. Doesn't it?  
_

Peter stands in the death realm, standing in the shadows. He intently watches Stiles move like a dancer as he practices fighting hand-to-hand with Eliot. He feels the echo of a movement behind him and turns to find himself face to face with Death.

Death has a knowing look on his darkly handsome face, which annoys Peter to no end.

Death glares at Peter. He snarls, "I hate to bother you, Peter!" He steps close to Peter. So close that they are breathing the same air. He exudes an air of menace. "I _**want**_ those other two souls! I _**suggest**_ you collect them. Soon!" He turns to leave but stops and looks back over his shoulder at Peter. He purrs evilly, " _ **or**_ I'll find you reneged on our deal and reclaim _**everything**_ that is _**mine!**_ That includes your mate's freedom." That sounds even more menacing because he never raises his voice but his eyes are ice cold and his back is as stiff as steel.

Peter quietly swallows but recovers quickly. He can't back down when his mate's safety is on the line. He shines his red eyes and growls. "I **_never_** go back on my word! I _**will**_ collect those souls! Those are the two people I want to kill _**most!**_ Leave my mate alone! He hasn't done anything. He's innocent! Punish me for my mistakes, _not him!_ He won't want to ally with you if you force him into it or if you hurt or kill me."

Death gives Peter a condescending smile and snorts. _There is some truth in that._ He will need to trick Stiles into an alliance to save Peter, and not from fear. He may have to adjust his plans for the young shadow mage. Pity Stiles' father is human. Death sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. _Human emotional impulses are so hard to control._ "Stiles' powers _ **are**_ similar to mine. I'll keep that in mind when I make my move. _**My** pet_, or should I say, _**his** pet,_ will smooth the way for that. Stiles will do anything to protect you, once he remembers what you are to him. _If he doesn't have you with him when he gets his memory back, he'll die, and then he's mine anyway_. I can always arrange for someone to kill him, wolf. Don't try me!" He looks at Peter meaningfully.

Peter's throat goes dry as he realizes that Death has _**Peter**_ killing people that Death wants dead. He can arrange the death of whomever he wants whenever he wants.

Death smile with triumph. "Collect one of those souls. Soon!"

Peter thinks a minute. "Would you like an additional soul for your collection? Like, say, Alan Deaton's soul?"

Death smiles hungrily. "Hmm. Yes. I _**would**_ like his soul. The traitor! The problem is that Deaton's death helps you more than it helps me."

Peter smiles. "His soul could be like... extra credit in school? I can collect him for you in exchange for more time for collecting the Argents souls."

Death considers Peter's proposal. "I tell you what. Kill Deaton. Tonight. In return. I will give you a _**full**_ month to collect the souls I want before I continue hounding you to pay your debt, so to speak. Collect the souls I want before then and..." He leans forward and lowers his voice conspiratorily. "...I will reward you with a boon." He holds up his hand and a crystal forms from the shadows. He holds it out to Peter. "For Deaton's soul."

Peter takes the crystal from Death's outstretched hand.

Death turns and leaves in a wisp of smoke. 

Peter then allows himself an angry growl as he stomps the floor in frustration. He got a little reprieve on collecting the Argents, but not by much. He smiles as he realizes that he gets to kill Deaton. _Tonight!_

Stiles turns and looks at where he thinks he hears a noise that _**shouldn't**_ be there. He knows the sounds of a foot stomp when he hears one. There's no one there, though. Or at least, not that he can see.

Eliot asks, "what is it? Where's the threat?"

Stiles scans the area for anything that feels wrong or off, since he doesn't see anything. "I heard something. I don't see anything, but I know I heard something."

Stiles' familiar jumps up to his right shoulder and wraps its tail around his left upper arm. Zerk studies the spot where Peter is standing in the realm of the dead. It whispers in Stiles' mind, "Just the echo of magic floating around. There's nothing real or material there, though. You're perfectly safe. We're safe." Zerk rubs his head against Shade's chin as he purrs.

Stiles scritches his chin instinctually as he continues to peer in the corner. It feels familiar. It feels like something or someone he needs. Is that a shadowy man or my imagination?

Peter turns and walks away to hunt down Deaton. _He has to protect Stiles._ At all costs! He's glad that Zerk is protecting Stiles from the memories of Peter.

_As usual, Peter doesn't notice that Stiles detected his presence before he turned and left._

Stiles says, "I keep feeling that someone or something is watching me. I feel them for hours at a time. It feels like time is running out. I don't understand, why."

Zerkizok dismissively says in his mind, "ghosts and spirits. They occasionally take an interest in the living world. They have already run out of time. Maybe that's what you feel."

Stiles rakes his eyes over the corner one more time, shrugs, and turns back to Eliot and their training.

Eliot looks up from the message he was reading on his phone. "That's enough practice for today. I have a job that popped up and I'll be gone for about a week. You can stay here while I'm gone." He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a single key on a round clip. "Here's a copy of my key for you. For keeps."

Stiles nods. "Thanks, El. I appreciate everything that you're doing for me."

Eliot nods, packs, and leaves.

Stiles checks his messages and voice mails on his Magick Protector Services voice mail. _It thrills him that he's like Night Rider, or Sting Ray, or even[Street Hawk](https://youtu.be/6c_-KvMTOOc)._ He finds a voice mail from a witch coven in Colorado.

There's an evil creature several towns over from them that's been killing outsiders for centuries. The locals worship and serve it, to not only avoid it killing _them_ , but also to have a good harvest. 

While he's researching the disappearances in that area to find any patterns, Zerk rubs his head against Stiles' neck as he purrs and looks up at him. "Does it bother you that all these covens all want to be friends with you and are thrilled you can help them with their problems, but they will never invite you to join their coven because of your connection to darkness and shadows?"

Stiles freezes at the question. He thinks it over. "No, Zerk. I wouldn't know how to act in a witch coven, with rules requiring blindly following the head witch, especially if I don't trust they are trying to protect their coven or pack. I think I prefer being on my own."

Zerk nods in understanding.

Stiles checks out the area of the disturbance. He then grabs a couple of magic books he thinks he might need and a change of clothes. He hops on his motorbike and rides out.

 _Rocky Point National Park is well known for missing persons._ The coven he's meeting is in Silverthorne.

They want him to investigate Kremmling, Colorado. It's a thirty-one-hour drive. _He takes two days to get there._

**APRIL 11th, 2011**

**Beacon Hills, midnight**

****

Peter goes to the Beacon Hills Veterinary Clinic and finds Deaton, deep in researching the death of the necromancer that Peter killed.

Deaton's so absorbed with his research that he doesn't sense Peter's deathly presence. _Or maybe that's just because he can't sense the dead as well as he thinks._

Peter walks over to Deaton's herb shelf and looks around. He takes the vial of belladonna powder and stealthily puts it in Deaton's tea.

Deaton continues flipping through several old books as he sips his tea without noticing the belladonna in it.

As the belladonna begins to paralyze Deaton's muscles he drops his teacup. He looks at his shaking and cramping hands. He struggles to open them properly, but can't. _What the hell?_

Peter takes on a solid form so that he's visible to Deaton. "Deaton. If you want the cure, write a letter to Derek informing him that you work for Gerard Argent. Tell Derek you only said you served Talia to betray Derek to Kate, for your best friend Gerard."

Deaton nods and writes the note with his cramped hands, barely able to hold the pen. He's gasping for breath as the poison slowly spreads to his lungs and heart. "The antidote. Give me the antidote. Please." he pleads.

Peter takes the note and sits down across from him. "There is _n_ o antidote. I promised Death your soul. I _have_ to protect my mate. Your soul gives me bargaining room for returning to the land of the living and my mate."

Deaton clutches at his chest as he gasps out in confusion, "mate, what mate? I didn't know you had, have, a mate."

Peter smiles at him. "Stiles is my mate. That necromancer's death your researching. She was the first soul that I collected for Death. She's the one that brought back Gerard and Kate Argent from the dead and Death was upset they came back. The Argents will be my next two souls to collect. Is there anything you want to confess to ease your soul or conscience before you die?"

Deaton blanches as he realizes he's about to die and he can't do anything about it. _His conscience._ If he confesses a few things, he has a better chance of going to the Summer Land or Purgatory instead of... _to Death or Hell._

He gulps and rushes out. "Yes. I killed Stiles' mother. She got sick from not using her magick because John's a human and she hid her magick for him. She wanted Stiles to be human, so hid him and his magick. SHe may have taught him how to control his telekinesis so that he could keep it from getting of control or instinctively activating in front of human witnesses. She died from not using her magick _**and the poiso** **n** _I put in her migraine medication to speed her death along. Not using magic causes it to build up in your body as a toxin. Claudia was a shadow sprite. They carry a spark of darkness easily mistaken as evil instead of shadows. If Stiles doesn't use his magick it will kill him, eventually. Death can sense shadow sprites and forces alliances with them so they don't try to become the next Death, as he did. When Death decides to pass on the mantel, he chooses one of those sprites as his heir."

Peter grits his teeth. That's why Death wants Stiles' allegiance.

Deaton takes his final breath and dies.

The stone takes his soul.

Peter leaves the note on the desk for Derek and walks out of the clinic.

**APRIL 13th, 2011  
Colorado  
**

Stiles arrives in Silverthorne and meets up with one of the witches in the local coven.

They drink coffee in a coven run Starbucks.

Stiles says to the young witch, Samantha, "Explain to me what is going on in Kremmling."

Samantha says, "there was a Nemeton tree here until the 1800s. Cowboys venturing west cut it down to build what is now their town cafe and meeting place in the center of town. That cursed the village. Thirty years of death and disease and a then a dark druid coven arrives. Darachs. They communed with the Nemeton and supposedly discovered that it wanted fresh blood to rebuild its strength, or so they said. _**It**_ needed to perform the killing of the sacrifices that they offered to it. They made a scarecrow from the Nemeton's wood and drenched it in the blood from a virgin sacrifice. A teenage witch and her little sister that they stole from our coven."

Stiles asks, "Is the scarecrow always alive, or does it only come to life after dark?"

Samantha nods. "It is able to move and hunt every night, but we don't think it's alive. We think it is more like a puppet without strings. When outsiders arrive in their town, the coven there directs them to the cafe. _They feed the chosen sacrifices the best food and drink for their last supper._ They keep the outsiders in the cafe until after dark. One of the coven members sabotages the outsiders' vehicle. _After dark, the scarecrow arises from its post and stalks the streets for its chosen sacrifices._ When the visitors leave the cafe, the townsfolk lock the buildings so that the newest victims can't enter any of the buildings to escape the monstrous scarecrow. _**It** then hunts the sacrifice, herding them to the orchard and the Nemeton roots where it kills them and beheads their victims on the nemeton so that their victims' blood runs over the stump and base."_

Stiles asks, "what do the townspeople get from the sacrifices?"

Samantha says, "their life span is 150 years for the humans and 250 years for the Darachs. The druids get basic magical abilities without needing to cast spells or drink potions for them."

Stiles leans back in his seat and idly strokes his familiar's fur as he contemplates what to do.

Samantha points to Stiles cat as she asks, "is that... is that a... a familiar?"

He nods as he smiles at her. "If this scarecrow is made of wood, especially magical wood, it'll burn. Would I need to use magic to make it burn though or is normal fire good enough? Should I burn the scarecrow or the Nemeton's base?"

She frowns. "Gasoline should work, but you would want to get close, and that's the hard part. It won't let you. I don't know which one to burn, maybe both. Both would guarantee that you stop the killings."

They continue discussing it for another hour before Stiles takes the folder on the scarecrow and the coven and leaves the coffee shop. He goes to Big Lots and buys several small jerry cans that can attach to his cycle and then drives to the local gas station.

Stiles fills them at the pump and gets on his bike. He looks up and sees Argent.

_Chris Argent._

He's fueling his SUV as he stares at Stiles. "Crap!"

Argent smiles at him. "Stiles."

Stiles looks around for an escape route. _It's nearly night, and there are a lot of shadows everywhere._ He smirks at Argent. "Not anymore. _Stiles is dead."_ He salutes at Argent and pulls himself, his familiar, and his bike into shadows.

Argent's smile falters as he looks around. "How?... Magick?... He's learning magick." He wonders, _"what did he mean not anymore? Or by that statement of Stiles is dead? What happened to him to make him run away from Beacon Hills?"_

Stiles goes to a coven run hotel. _Silver Inn._ He chuckles at the name and then steps out of the shadows inside the office. "I need a room for the night. Is one available?"

The witch smiles as he hands Stiles the key. "Best room in the house, _free of charge,_ Mr. Shade."

Stiles thanks the man and goes to the room for some sleep before he drives the rest of the way to Kremmling.


	8. Scarecrows and Argents part 2

**APRIL 14th, 2011**

Stiles drives into Kremmling and hides his bike in the shadow realm by the orchard. He thinks that, logically speaking, _the roots must be in the orchard,_ somewhere. He then uses the shadow realm to travel to the cafe. He steps out of the shadows behind Argent's SUV where no one can see where he came from. He walks into the cafe and sits across from Argent. "This is not a place you want to eat at on a good day, Argent, let alone a bad one."

Argent smiles as he takes a bite of his pie. "Stiles?"

Stiles frowns, and his familiar growls at Argent. "These days, I go by Shade. As in shadows." He adjusts himself and leans forward. "I think we're focused on the same goal in this cursed town. We could work together" He sighs and leans back. "Only I think I know more about it than you do. I have sources you don't. Your silver bullets won't work here. It's not a werewolf."

Argent smiles. "Enlighten me then... Shade."

Stiles' cat curls on his shoulder as he pulls the file folder from his bag. He holds it as he thinks about it.

Argent looks at the seat. Stiles didn't have a bag a minute ago.

Stiles then pushes it across the table to the older man. _It has the history of the town, its Nemeton, and their murderous scarecrow in it._ He then flags down the waitress. "I'll have the meatloaf meal with a diet coke and a piece of peach pie."

She sweetly asks, "would you like that ala mode?"

He shrugs. "Why not."

She nods, writes down his order, and walks to the kitchen to place the order with the cook. When she hands it to the cook she says, "Two of them, tonight. We will be doubly blessed."

Argent reads over the notebook and frowns. "Nemeton?" He frowns in disgust. "Great. I didn't know half of this." He looks intently at Stiles. "I pinpointed that this town is the center of the disappearances from reports around the park. We thought it was a supernatural predator like a shapeshifter or wendigo. Shall we join forces? I didn't bring back up because I thought it was a simple feral. The two of us have better chances of success together than alone." He looks at the folder and then at Stiles. "Especially since you have more information than I do." He hands the file back to Stiles

Stiles puts it back in his bag and turns back to the Argent.

Argent watches as the bag fades away. _How the...?_

Stiles looks and smiles at the look on Argent's face. "My bag? It's back on my bike. I didn't want to carry it with me for the fight. Deadweight and all." He looks out the window to see how long until sunset. "Nightfall is when the fun starts. We have a few hours. Tell me how things are going in Beacon Hills. I take it that _**we**_ means Victoria, Allison, and you? I seem to recall that your family is a matriarchal entity."

Argent leans forward. "No. Victoria is dead. Suicide. she couldn't take being a werewolf or the fact that it was because she broke the code and tried to kill an innocent werewolf. That's how she was accidentally bitten by Derek."

Stiles looks shocked. "What? How? What happened?"

Argent drinks some of his coffee. "Well. Hmm. Let's see. Derek bit Jackson. Instead of becoming a werewolf, he became a Kanima. We hunters tracked it to a Rave. Victoria used the distraction of us hunters confronting the beast while trying to keep it from killing any innocent humans and tried to kill Scott in the back of the club, _merely for Victoria's perceived belief of Scott's crime of dating our daughter._ Officially it would have looked like an asthma attack and not a hunter kill. Victoria was smart that way."

Stiles frowns as he asks in confusion, "Asthma? Wolfsbane effects don't look like asthma attacks."

Argent nods. "It does if it's used in incense burners and there are medical records showing that he had severe asthma. _My wife broke the code._ **Secretly.** She was insanely furious that Allison was with a werewolf. Derek heard Scott's distressed howl as he lay dying in the back of the rave and ran to his rescue. He accidentally bit Victoria in the confrontation and the Kanima escaped because we were fighting Derek's wolf pack instead of the Kanima. We didn't know it was a Kanima at that point or even who it was. Allison couldn't take the fact that her mom _tried to kill her innocent boyfriend_ or that her mom _**killed herself**_ instead of accepting her new nature because of Gerard's influences and rules."

Stiles shakes his head in disbelief. Scott and Allison seem to have continued on their destructive relationship, not realizing they were destroying others and not themselves. Like he did to Stiles. And Derek. And...? And who?

Argent sips his coffee. "When Gerard gained control of it with his need to avenge Kate, he threatened to use the Kanima to kill Allison, my daughter, his granddaughter, if Derek didn't give him the bite, Allison pulled out my small handgun and shot Gerard in the head. She then needed to get away from everything werewolf and hunter for her wellness of mind."

Stiles is shocked that a hunter big wig would want to become a werewolf, even if it's to stay alive. _Isn't that breaking their own code of suicide before accepting the werewolf change?_ "Gerard's death? I had heard he died of a heart attack over Kate's death. Are you telling me Allison shot him in the head months ago?"

Argent nods his head as Stiles processes this.

Stiles haltingly says, "...and yet, not too long ago, a hunter that attacked me in Minnesota said a necromancer brought Gerard back and he's looking for me. For revenge."

Argent takes a bite of his meal. "Yes. He survived the heart attack. Only. He went crazy."

Stiles thinks he was already crazy. Only. They didn't notice it.

Argent continues. "I _**have**_ heard rumors that his mistress, the necromancer, brought both Kate and Gerard back to life. Allison. Allison and Scott went to France to stay with family friends that have nothing to do with hunting. That's how we discovered that Gerard was manipulating everyone to find the Alpha to get the bite so he could be an Alpha werewolf. He was dying of cancer."

Stiles memory is a little foggy. "The feral Alpha in Beacon Hills? The one that bit Scott? No one knows who that is. I assumed it left after it killed Kate."

Argent thinks it's odd that's how he described the Alpha. He was there. We all know that the Alpha was Peter. _ **Was!**_ He didn't call the Alpha Peter or use any other descriptions of it. _Have Stiles' memories been taken or tampered with_?

He senses menace from the cat in Stiles' lap. It snarls into his mind. "Say nothing about the Alpha or the showdown or I will rip your throat out!"

He pales a little. He takes it that since the threat was in his mind that whatever that is, it doesn't want Stiles to know. He takes another bite of food. "Gerard's mistress **_was_** a necromancer and she brought both him and Kate back. They disappeared to the north somewhere. Oh. A recent development that was a surprise. Deaton killed himself with belladonna a few days ago and left a note for Derek revealing that he _pretended_ to work for Talia, but he was _**actually**_ spying for Gerard, his best friend, because he's a hunter. Or, he was a hunter." He thinks it's a little odd that Deaton was investigating the death of that necromancer when he died.

Stiles breathes out a short breath. "Damn! I missed a lot."

The cat, Stiles' familiar, Zerk, smiles ruefully since he knows that Peter is now hunting down Gerard and Kate for his old master, Death.

Stiles drinks his soda. "What about the... kanima... was it? ...Jackson?"

Argent takes another bite of pie. "Gerard drowned the kid that was controlling it in order to gain control of it with his deep need for vengeance for Kate's death. I killed it as Allison killed Gerard. The Kanima's body reverted to human form and that's when we realized it was Jackson." He sips his coffee. "Melissa informed your dad about Scott and werewolves and he asked me to clarify everything he didn't understand and about _**your**_ involvement in Scott's werewolf woes before Derek became the new Alpha. Your dad is now dating Melissa and they both know about Scott. It did take Melissa a little while to come to terms with it when she discovered werewolves are real."

The familiar stands up and glares at Argent, ready to pounce if he mentions Peter's name.

Stiles mouths wow. "I'm sorry for your loss." He leans back. "I can't say that I'm surprised that Jackson got the Alpha to bite him. He _ **was**_ fixated on getting the bite. It sucks that Gerard and Kate came back from the dead! I didn't know they were _**both**_ supposed to be dead until that hunter that attacked on that job. He worked for Gerard and hinted at that. I wonder what new hell Gerard is cooking up?" Stiles shakes his head. _He liked Jax and can't believe that he's dead._ "Jax didn't deserve that kind of death."

Argent asks, "Thank you for your sympathy. I don't know. I haven't heard anything from either one of them, but they wouldn't contact me after they found out I was allowing my daughter to date a werewolf." Argent gets a good look at the very intelligent and wary look on the cat's face.

The eyes flash black for a second as it shows him his fangs and whispers menacingly in his mind, _"Argent."_

Argent blinks. "Is that a familiar? _**Are**_ you a witch? Why _**did**_ you suddenly leave Beacon Hills without telling anyone? You were perfectly _**safe.**_ Why did you tell me that Stiles is dead? I don't understand what happened to make you leave."

Stiles nods. "Yes. I'm a witch and this is my familiar. Well. I guess a half-breed sprite would be considered a witch since they rarely are accepted by other sprites. I left because... something... I... don't remember... it has to do with survival. If I stayed it would have **_literally_** _killed me,_ and that memory was removed, magickally. I now go around helping supernaturals stop predators from hurting innocent people in their territory. I use the name of Shade Gaia to protect dad. My magic is... shadow based. Covens don't accept shadow based magick because they think it means... it doesn't matter. That means that I'm a lone witch and not a member of any coven. I suppose I could join a pack somewhere as their magick user. I'm not interested in that right now. I can fix things that others can't. So, I help people. I make contacts with _all_ the clans or covens I come across."

He plays with his fork on the plate. "My magick is shadow, illusion, and life or maybe life essence. That's similar to the powers of the Lord of Death, only he deals with death and decay. _The shadow realm that I travel in is the Realm of Shadows that lies between the astral plane and this one_."

He thinks to himself that _beyond that is the Land of the Dead. Life is the opposite of Death._ He thinks Claudia's ramblings about his bringing death was the creature _Death,_ and not death, and that his magic is evil or dark is because she knew he's close to Death. _He's not like Death. He's not!_ He looks intently at Argent. _"I want to protect the living!_ I want to help people."

Argent sits back. _So it's only a matter of time before Stiles attracts Death's attention. If he hasn't already._ "I take it that you're helping people to prove to Death, and yourself, that you don't want his job or position."

Stiles is surprised. He thinks a minute and comes to the conclusion that Argent is right. "Or worse, be one of Death's agents. I don't want to kill people. Even if some power thinks it's time for them to die. I kind of suspect that since he's the Lord of Death, he may have noticed me a long time ago. I think someone or something is already watching me. I suspect it's him."

Zerk stiffens a little with the talk about Death but keeps purring so as not to attract attention to his reaction.

Argent smiles at him. "You're a good kid. I'll always vouch for you. Speaking of which, I believe if you had been in Beacon Hills when Gerard and the Kanima were wreaking havoc that you would have figured things out and helped me stop it before it got too far out of hand as you did with the Alpha and my sister's involvement in the Hale fire."

The familiar puts its paws on the table and hisses in Argent's mind. "Stop talking about the Alpha. My master's memories of him must remain locked and buried if he is to live. He likes you and I'd hate to upset him by killing you to keep him alive."

Argent goes rigid and blanches. Yeah... _Subject change._

Stiles shrugs as he scritches Zerk's ears as the familiar sits back down in his lap. _His memories of the Alpha are a little fuzzy_ but he doesn't want to say anything about that.

Argent blanches at this threat from the cat-like creature as he thinks of other things to discuss. _He nods and then pays for his and Stiles' supper as he asks for Stiles' phone number._

They talk for several hours until it's dark outside.

They leave the cafe together, and the waitress locks the door as soon as they step out.

Argent is _**not**_ surprised that his SUV has been tampered with and that it won't start. That matches the town's MO for disappearances. Argent and Stiles start walking towards the auto shop, and the scarecrow steps out from a dark alley. Argent pulls out his gun and shoots the scarecrow.

_The bullets don't phase it._

Argent and Stiles run, _allowing the Scarecrow to direct the direction of their running,_ so they wind up in the orchard. 

Stiles reaches into the Shadow Realm and pulls the jerry cans off his bike. He gives one to Argent. "I think we need to burn _**both**_ the scarecrow _**and**_ the Nemeton roots. Here's some gas for that purpose."

The next time the scarecrow comes at them, Argent tosses gas on it and then throws a lit lighter on it. 

_It doesn't burn, and they run again!_

Argent and Stiles split up to confuse it.

It can't catch Stiles because he's so damn fast, so it goes after Argent instead. Stiles sees the stump but hears the scarecrow closing in on Argent so runs in that direction.

Argent finds the Nemeton stump and roots and pours his gas from the gas can on them. He's about to toss a match on it when the roots move and grab his wrist in an iron grip. He can't get his wrist loose and the Scarecrow is now slowly walking straight towards him with a very sick and demented smile on its fugly face. Argent pulls hard against the iron-hard root and focuses on his wrist, grimacing as the roots dig deeper into his flesh.

Stiles is suddenly at Argent's side, yanking on the roots wrapped around Argent's arm. Stiles' eyes glow witch-white as he amplifies his strength and pulls harder on the roots.

Argent breathes a small sigh of relief as Stiles very slowly digs the roots out of his flesh. It's very slow and strenuous work and sweat beads his brow from the exertion. Argent looks worriedly at the Scarecrow advancing on them. He knows that he doesn't have time to get out of the way of the Scarecrow as it raises it's sickle for the killing blow and slowly gets in the position to more than likely decapitate him as it gives him an evil grin. Argent tries to shove Stiles out of the way with his one free hand as he shouts, "save yourself! Run!"

Stiles eyes glow brighter and he slowly begins prying the root free of Argent's bloody wrist. "I'm not leaving you! You have a better chance of stopping it than I do. You're the hunter! I'm just a half-trained witch that can hide in shadows." He turns his head away and continues pulling on the roots as he closes his eyes, waiting for the death he'll meet if he can't get those roots off of Argent in time.

A deafening roar sounds, and there is a loud crash as Zerk slams into the scarecrow, taking it through a nearby tree and an old wooden fence. 

Stiles frees Argent and they cautiously look around the mangled tree. There are bits and pieces of the Scarecrow strewn around on the ground and Zerk calmly sitting there, cleaning its paws. 

Stiles picks up Zerk and cuddles him against his chest. "Good job, Zerk." He looks at Argent. "One Scarecrow trashed, literally. We have a tree to burn."

They look around and find the matches and the gas can in the leaves.

They light the tree on fire only, _It's not catching fire._

Argent urgently says, "Stiles? I mean Shade? Use your magick!"

Shade's eyes glow witch-white as he chants a spell and uses the tutting hand gestures to call up an invisible fire. 

He uses it on the roots, and they quickly burn with a piercing, ear-shattering shriek.

Hundreds of sacrificed souls have been trapped here by the Nemeton, _on the Astral Plane._ Tied to the roots by their deaths. Unable to leave or pass on. _Deat **h hasn't** been able to cross them over because of the evil binding spell of the sacrifice._ The shriek is felt in the Astral Realm by Death himself and he smiles in anticipation and satisfaction.

Finally! Those souls are free to move on.

Death returns here, to the Nemeton's roots. He watches as Stiles burns the roots and the binding magic is destroyed. He smiles as he steps forward in the Astral Realm, revealing himself to all of the trapped souls.

_All of the freed spirits walk to him with outstretched hands._

Death opens the doorway to the sorting tunnel. _Some of the souls go up and some go down._ One or two stand there, unsure of what to do or where to go.

Death kindly says, "do you want to move on with the possibility of coming back to live again with reincarnation or do you intend to walk the earth forever, as a ghost? Do you have unfinished business left behind?"

One of the men says, "my wife still lives. She doesn't know if I'm alive or dead. I want to stay near her until she dies and then I can move on."

One female says, "I need to see my baby get married. I'll move on after that."

The others go through the doorway.

Death nods and says to the two, "go and finish your business as ghosts. Then I will come for you and you will move on to the next plane."

A cool wind passes over Stiles and Argent as all those souls passing on to the next level of existence creates a bright flash.

Stiles feels them move on and the darkness around the orchard lightens as those souls leave. He then looks at Argent. "Sorry. The only fire spell I know by heart is Invisible Fire. I don't like my campfires attracting the attention of hunters, so I use that spell, _a lot."_

Argent looks surprised that it works, and Stiles has that much power. "Invisible fire? I'm impressed."

Stiles pulls his bike out of the Shadow Relm, climbs on, and turns to Argent. "Need a lift?"

Argent looks back towards the center of town. "Yeah. I think I do."

Stiles gives Argent a ride to his SUV. 

**In the center of town**

They're surprised to find that most of the locals have aged into ancient people and died of old age. Their bodies are lying in the street, and quickly rotting into skeletons, _in front of the cafe, and on the floor of the cafe, where they had gathered to receive their reward for the newest sacrifice._

The few townspeople that aren't ancient seem to be barely affected. They aren't old enough to have relied so heavily on the powers of the Nemeton to keep them young and alive.

Argent says, "time caught up with them. I'd say the evil is over now." 

Stiles nods, shakes Argent's right hand with both of his, and says, "tell my dad that I love him."

Argent nods and waves as Stiles leaves. He looks at his car and sighs. He has an SUV to fix. Damn it!


	9. Plots of Gerard

**April 17th, 2011**

**Beacon Hills**

Chris Argent lets himself into Derek's loft.

Derek frowns at the door. "Argent. I'm going on a trip. Can this wait?"

Argent shakes his head. "No. The necromancer that brought back Gerard and Kate was killed in a house fire and I think she was murdered. That _**won't**_ hurt my feelings considering _**who**_ she brought back from the dead. That _**does**_ make me think of Peter's belief that _The death should match the crime._ Show me Peter's body so I can verify that he's _well and truly dead."_

Derek takes him to Hale House and opens a trap door in what used to be the living room. He gestures down into the hole below.

Chris takes the bright penlight he always has on him and shines it down into the hole. Peter's naked body is lying in repose with wolfsbane flowers planted at the four corners. He scoffs. That's to help the dead werewolf find peace on the other side. He doesn't see that happening anytime soon. He reaches down and feels the body. "He's definitely dead." He pulls out a handkerchief and wipes his hands off with a disgusted look. He sighs in relief and then gets up and walks out without any explanation.

Derek looks after him. 'What just happened? Why would Argent think Peter wasn't dead? _He watched me rip out his throat, for Christ's Sake?'_

**April 22nd, 2011**

**Las Vegas**

Death calls Zerk into the Land of the Dead. "Zerk. Stiles' mother had a journal. I've added a few things to it and then left it where John will find it. If Stiles doubts what's in the journal, ease him into believing it. I want him to think that his family has a connection to me and my realm. I want him to think that's what his mother was referring to when she went mad from not using her powers."

Zerk looks intently at him. "Is it anything that will lead to the boy getting hurt?"

Death shakes his head. "No. It will encourage him to form an alliance with me. Do as you're told, Zerkizok!"

Zerk nods and bows his head to Death. "Yes, sire."

Death turns and walks away.

Zerk frowns as he goes back to the Land of Shadows. He silently curses Death. He served Death for centuries, mostly forgotten about, **_unless_** Death needed something from him. He _**never**_ took care of Zerk. _Never gave him a nickname like Zerk._ Never gave him fresh fish or bowls of cream. God! _He can only have one master and he chooses Stiles!_ Stiles cares about him and provides for him and his well being, without asking for anything in return.

He sighs and returns to Stiles' side. He changes into a cat and curls around Stiles' neck, purring happily as Stiles scritches behind his ear. _Ah! Heaven!_

**APRIL 24th, 2011**

**Houston Texas**

Peter watches Gerard walking into The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. 

He smiles as he remembers that _this hospital is ranked first in the nation, since 1990, for treating cancer._ Peter laughs to himself. _Gerard came back to life just like he left. The bastard is dying of cancer._

Peter takes on a solid human form and checks around with his sources and finds a supernatural private investigator. He schedules a meeting with the imp.

It takes two hours of talking and bargaining to convince the imp to work for him and to gather evidence that Gerard is planning to become an Alpha to beat cancer. Again! History always repeats itself if you don't learn from your mistakes. All Peter knows for sure is that Gerard is dying, and his lieutenant is named Corbin Willis. He wants the imp to get him the dirt on Gerard as well as some leverage on Corbin.

He then goes to Stiles' old room in Beacon Hills and searches Stiles' computer for any evidence he can use as well as to learn more about his mate and his habits and preferences. Peter's eyes light up with glee when he sees that Stiles has evidence from Gerard's meeting with Deucalion. Gerard killed his hunters with a spiked mace to make it look like werewolves did it.

Peter's impressed that Stiles has the video footage showing this as well as footage of Gerard using flash arrows to blind Deucalion's.

Peter digs deeper into Stiles' hard drive and the Cloud for everything that Stiles has collected. _Wait!_ Stiles has copies of life insurance policies showing Gerard buys life insurance policies on all his hunters. He then kills them and collects the insurance pay off. Gerard doesn't bother burying the dead hunters or paying for the funerals. He either leaves that responsibility to their families or lets the city bury them in pauper's graves.

Peter is confused. _What's with the file of missing person's reports?_ He studies them. Oh! Why didn't anyone think of this before? Stiles documented Gerard was is in the same location at the time of all these disappearances. Stiles cites notes in another folder of all the John Does' death reports. Each John Doe matches one of the missing persons. The family member reporting the missing person was recruited as Gerard's hunters. Each John Doe has medical reports and autopsies. All were tortured with knives and killed with monkshood and belladonna. Son of... Gerard kidnaps innocent humans, tortures them, and kills them! He then convinces the victim's family members that werewolves murdered them to recruit new hunters.

Peter slaps his hands together gleefully. One of these reports matches Corbin Willis' brother, and it shows how he was killed with pictures and documents verifying the knife that was used to kill him was found at the scene. He can use this to get Corbin on his side. He sends copies of all three files, with a little note, to Chris Argent.

Peter's thrilled to find that Gerard had a paternity test performed five times over the years, and all five proved that Gerard is the father. _Kate's going to be pissed to find out she has five illegitimate siblings floating around out there._ Peter laughs like a maniac as he also sends a copy of this to Chris Argent.

Peter makes copies of all these and sends them to his computer in his apartment, and after a great deal of deliberation, he sends it to Sheriff Stilinski as well. When they both recognize Stiles' computer is the originating address, they will both know someone broke into Stiles' room, and they will check out everything that Stiles has on his computer.

Peter keeps searching the hard drive because he wants to know every subject his mate researched in his single-minded binges. He finds tons of files on werewolves, druids, shapeshifters, herbs, crystals, dryads, nemetons, Talia ... _he had no idea his sister's name was Natalia,_ Peter's life before the fire, comas, fire injuries, telekinesis training, candles, tarot, circumcision, gay-sex, and ballet.

Peter smiles when he finds a recording of Stiles and Danny [dancing in a competition](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLtSfYX8tJk). _Stiles is a trained ballet dancer_ , and that explains why he caught on to hand-to-hand combat so quickly. His flexibility and talent are impressive. _Surprisingly, no one has found any previous evidence that Stiles dances, let alone with Danny._

Peter leaves the reports on the missing person's reports open, as well as the John Doe's death reports, and the hunter rosters of Gerard showing everyone recruited into the organization.

John pulls up outside with a squeal of his brakes.

Peter quickly writes a note with his off-hand saying that Gerard is kidnapping, torturing, and killing innocent human campers. He then convinces the remaining family member that werewolves murdered them and then recruits them with a new hatred of werewolves. Peter then becomes insubstantial and watches as John runs upstairs and into Stiles' room.

John examines the files and sends himself an email at the station of those files so he can forward all of this to the CIA. One of those John Does is the brother of an FBI agent, and that agent was recruited into Gerard's organization. John then looks at the rest of Stiles' computer and finds the other evidence he has on Gerard. He finds the dancing competition and smiles proudly. He copies the files on Gerard Argent and Kate Argent to a thumb drive.

He calls the locksmith's and has the locks replaced on the house.

As the workman leaves, John picks up a worn leather diary and walks out to his car.

**At the station**

John stops Deputy Tara Graeme from getting into her patrol car with a nondescript cooler. He holds up the thumbstick. "Tara. Something's come up. I want you to verify these files. I would like you to find a legal way that we can get any of these that were obtained illegally. I'll take that cooler of evidence to the Las Vegas crime lab for you. I have someone I need to talk to about something personal in Vegas anyways. This will let me kill two birds with one stone."

She hands over the cooler and takes the thumbstick. "Yes, Sheriff. You be careful out there."

He loads the cooler into his own cruiser and nods as he closes the door. He leans out the window as he addresses her, "Always."

**Las Vegas**

Stiles and Eliot are washing dishes after breakfast.

Zerk is lying in the sun. All stretched out as he soaks in the warm sunshine. His tail occasionally does a happy flip to indicate that he's alive.

Stiles phone rings with [_Just the Two of Us_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WamkRSDeD8) by Will Smith. He quickly dries his hands and rushes to the phone.

Eliot hides a smile as Stiles hides his happy grin and puts on a serious face.

Stiles accepts the call. "Hello?" As if he didn't know it's his dad. He hears a motor in the background and knows his dad is driving.

John says, "Hey son! I'm driving to Las Vegas to the _SGS Forensic Laboratories_ on East Pama Lane there with crime scene samples for their lab. I was hoping I could spend some time with you while I'm there. If you aren't too busy?"

Stiles fist pump and sarcastically answers, "naw, dad. I'm not busy. I think I've read every magickal book the covens around here have and I'm black and blue from training with El. I think I can scrape up a few hours _or days_ to see you." He walks over to the computer. "El, can I look up local food joints near the lab dad's going to?"

El nods. "Sure. No problem. I believe there is a _Roberto's Taco shop_ across the street from there. By, _across the street,_ I mean in the _Commerce Complex_ of fourteen buildings in that lot. There is also a Subway in there."

Stiles smiles as John says, "Tacos? I love Tacos! I'm pretty sure I've eaten at that chain before and they have good food for a good price." Stiles laughs. "I'd say that's settled. What time should I meet you there?"

John looks at his watch and calculates how long it will take him to get there and how long procedures will keep him at the cop shop and how long it will take him to walk over to the taco place because it's easier than trying to drive the block over. "I'd say one pm-ish. Don't hold me to that. I will meet you there as close to one as I can."

Stiles nods energetically. "Okay, dad. See you then."

**1:45 pm**

**Las Vegas**

John walks in the door of Robert's Taco Shop. He spots Stiles slouched in a corner with his sunglasses low over his eyes and a black cat curled across his shoulders. The eyes of that cat aren't right. It's too attentive of the people around and it appears extremely intelligent and wary. A familiar? Claudia had a crow that watched the house for her until she got sick.

The cat pats Stiles face and Stiles sits up. He spots his dad in the door and joins him at the counter.

They order tacos and sit in the corner.

Stiles says, "you look great, dad."

John nods and looks critically at Stiles. "You look leaner and a little broader in the shoulders. You may have even grown a little taller."

They talk about Stiles' witch training with the Ancient and some of the jobs he's been on for various covens. The only hard ones were the one against Gerard's hunters and the Scarecrow powered by the Nemeton.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, John pulls out a copy of the new house key and hands it to Stiles as he explains about the break-in.

Stiles is concerned about it, but feels better about the fact that his dad changed the locks.

John continues about the break-in, "yeah, I went by the house to get a book I wanted to show you before coming here and I discovered that someone broke in the house and went through your computer. They left files open. The ones about Gerard killing his men for the insurance and blaming werewolves for it."

Stiles stiffens as his dad tells him the burglar went through his computer. His dad going through it he kind of expected seeing as his dad is a Sheriff and Stiles went missing.

John smiles. "I'm impressed with the video of your dancing competition for _The World of Dance_ with Danny. I didn't know you studied ballet! And that dance was amazing! Truly amazing!"

A guy passing their table sees Stiles and smiles as he holds out his hand. "Flex! Oh my god! It _**is**_ you! Are you still dancing? You have some killer moves, man."

Stiles shakes his hand. "Ditto! Yeah, man. Just not competing anymore. Are you here for the State competition?"

Ditto nods. "Yep. I'm in the group competition since my partner quit the scene."

They hug as Stiles says, "Well, knock'em dead man. Oh! Ditto. This is my dad. Sheriff John Stilinski."

They shake hands and exchange pleasantries. The meeting ends with Ditto giving John a pair of complimentary tickets for the televised competition next month. He gives Stiles a pair of tickets also.

John and Stiles sit back down to eat their tacos. John smiles as he recounts Chris Argent's accounts of Stiles saving him from the ugliest Scarecrow ever and a demented Nemeton.

Stiles nods and verifies that is true and that his familiar Zerk saved them both by taking out the Scarecrow.

Zerk preens at Stiles' praise of his prowess.

Stiles cleans up and readies himself to say goodbye to his dad when John grips his arm to keep him sitting down. "Stiles. I... I decided it's time to move on with my life. I don't mean to upset you. Your mother meant a lot to me but I can't keep wearing my wedding ring and seeing her clothes in the closet every morning when I get ready for work. I still love her and always will, but... I... started dating Melissa McCall. Part of moving on was packing up your mother's stuff in the closet and my room."

Stiles smiles. "It's okay, dad. I like Melissa and I think it's great that the two of you are dating. It's been ten years since mom died and you have to move on sometime."

John looks down at his drink. "I appreciate your understanding, but what I wanted to tell you is I found your mother's diary when I was packing Claudia's stuff. It mentions magick and shadows and ..." He pulls out the leather book from his inside jacket and hands it to Stiles.

Stiles notices Zerk's sudden attention to that journal. Stiles flips through it. _He remembers finding this diary the day his mother died and reading it all then._ That's how he knew about his ability to hide in shadows and why he started forcing himself to learn how to hide in the Shadow Realm. Wait! _Several of these passages have been adjusted._ This makes it look like Claudia met Death in the Shadow plane and formed an alliance. They then exchanged information and she helped Death with Life Spells. This is very suspicious. "Where did you find this, dad?"

John sips his drink. "It was at the bottom of her box of special knick-knacks under the bed. The one that she didn't let anyone open."

Stiles scoffs. This book was in left Claudia's jacket in the closet. That's where he found it back then. Someone adjusted this journal and put it where his dad would find it. He's going to take a wild guess and say that was done by Death _since his name is now so prominently featured_. He looks up at his dad and thanks him.

**6 pm**

**Eliot's house**

Stiles finishes reading the changes to the journal as Eliot leaves on a job in Boston. Stiles tosses the book down on the couch and lays his head back. "Damn convenient and suspicious. Why would anyone plant stuff in my mother's journal?"

Zerk nuzzles at Stiles neck. He purposely asks Stiles telepathically, "Why do you think it was planted?"

Stiles scritches at Zerk's ears as he says, "I read that journal the day my mother died and I know what it said. I even have pictures of it on my phone." He shows a picture of a page to Zerk next to the same page in the book. It proves that the book has been doctored.

Zerk says out loud, "I'm sure your mother wanted you to know about your heritage and her special abilities." In Stiles mind, he adds. "Please act as though you accept the journal as fact."

Stiles hand stills and then continues scritching Zerk. He grabs onto Zerk's mind link that allows him to telepathically ask, "you know about this and why Death has done this?"

Zerk whispers into Stiles mind, "Death says he's paving the way for an Alliance between you. He needs your help with life magic. Death can't cast Life Magic like that and you can. I would never do anything to hurt you or lie to you. You took me in as a partner and not as a slave. _I appreciate that._ You _**are** _my friend. You take care of me. I care for you a great deal. _My first loyalty is to you and not... him."_

Stiles catches the disdain in Zerk's voice as he refers to Death. He leans over and kisses Zerk's head as he nods. "I'm sure my mom was covering all the basics. I'll have to trust her and this book, I guess."

**April 24th, 2011**

**Texas**

**1 pm**

Peter meets with the imp private investigator in Texas and collects his evidence.

Peter then follows Gerard and his current crew of hunters in San Antonio.

Peter believes he has enough to recruit Corbin Willis to his cause. Gerard's lieutenant hates werewolves, but he follows the code. He's honorable. Corbin Willis believes that Gerard killed the werewolf that killed his brother. He's loyal to Gerard only because he sends Corbin to kill werewolves that have attacked or killed innocents.

Corbin's not aware that most of those deaths were because of Gerard. Gerard captured the children of the pack Alphas, torturing and killing those children and sending the pieces of those kids to the Alpha so the pack would attack his hunters and appear to be killers for his hunters to kill.

Gerard leaves his lieutenant to study the San Anotonio pack while he goes to Houston to get medication and chemo for his cancer.

Peter arranges to get the lieutenant alone in his hotel room and shows him the evidence against Gerard.

Peter picks up the black rosary Corbin takes with him everywhere in memory of his brother and plays with the beads, like he's thinking over the prayers for the dead, as he ponders Corbin and what he wants and what he's about to drop on the man.

Corbin's anger flares at first that Peter would dare to touch his brother's memory like that, but Peter's respect for the dead and the prayers stop him. _**Do**_ werewolves respect the dead and _**our**_ memories of them? He cautiously and nervously asks, "what do you want, wolf?"

Peter scoffs. "Right now, I'm not a werewolf, _per se_. Think of me as the memory of what was Peter Hale. I want justice for all the innocents that Gerard and Kate killed. Your brother is among those victims."

Corbin's jaw drops in shock. "No. Gerard killed the werewolf that killed my brother."

Peter looks up at Corbin. "There was no werewolf involved in his death." He spends the next hour showing Corbin the proof of Gerard killing humans to recruit them and then shows him that is Gerard trying to get Peter Hale to kill Laura Hale to become an Alpha and them give him the bite to beat cancer. _A few months ago._ He's now planning on forcing the San Antonio pack to provide him with the bite, this time, only more directly.

Corbin is understandably angry that Gerard duped him. He wants to double-check the facts from his side before he decides anything. I mean what are the chances that a werewolf would lie to a hunter?

Peter leaves as he gives Corbin the files that show Gerard collecting on life insurance policies on his hunters. "By any chance, Corbin, does Gerard have a policy on you?"

Corbin grits his teeth and nods. "Yeah. Yeah, he does."

Peter shakes his head. "Let's hope he doesn't need money for his chemo treatments then."

**April 26th, 2011**

**Texas**

Corbin discovers that everything Peter said about Gerard is true. Gerard not only _**did**_ kill his hunters to get sanctioned to kill Deucalion, but he kills _**innocent humans,**_ regularly, as part of his plans to trick people into becoming werewolf hunters for him. Corbin is furious to discover that werewolves didn't kill his brother. Gerard is the one that tortured and murdered his brother in order to recruit Corbin. _The Bastard!_

**Several hours later**

Peter appears a little while later to convince Corbin. He intends to videotape his confession of all his lies and deceptions so they can send it to _all_ his hunters. Peter fully intends to kill Gerard afterward, and make Kate watch it. He knocks on Corbin's door once more. He waits a moment and then knocks again. He smiles to himself when Corbin opens the door and drags him inside, grumbling that he can't be seen by anyone. No one can know he's talking to the enemy.

Peter purrs, "supposed enemy. I don't see why we can't be on the same side since we both want to protect humans from feral killers. And mad hatter hunters that are egomaniacal narcissists with a god complex. Meaning monsters like Gerard. Only a monster would turn a Kanima on your own grandchild to force someone into giving you the bite. How many times has the witch brought him back? Twice? Three times?"

Corbin mutters, "Twice. The heart attack and then again when Allison shot him in self-defense." Corbin motions for Peter to sit in the chair.

Peter sits down and listens as Corbin paces as he rants about his brother's death and how Gerard has duped him. He fully expects Gerard to kill him in the process of getting the bite or right after he succeeds. A werewolf wouldn't need hunters servicing him since they kill werewolves.

Corbin takes a deep breath and faces Peter. "Gerard ordered me to capture the San Antonio pack Alpha's six-year-old daughter. The mother is human so the child _could be_ a human and there's no way to know until the child hit puberty. I think Gerard wants to use the child as bait to get the Alpha to come out unprotected to get his daughter. He wants the bite and he needs the Alpha to give it to him. We need to trick Gerard into going somewhere that I control without his bodyguards."

Peter says, "if he thinks he's about to get the bite, he won't want his bodyguards because he doesn't want them to know what he wants from the Alpha. If you can convince him that you have the child and the Alpha in your possession and they are incapacitated and submissive, you can get him alone. How will you incapacitate Gerard?"

Corbin thinks a moment. "You can come and go without being seen. Can you switch out his medication with tranquilizers? That way when he takes his meds at 3 pm or 8 pm it will knock him out in a few minutes. Then we can lock him up and record me beating the confession out of him."

Peter plans on adding Gerard's death to the viewing itinerary. He nods and smiles. "Yes. Give me whatever pills you want me to switch his meds with and I can do that. It's more likely to go unnoticed if they look similar."

Corbin thinks a moment and walks over to his dresser. He routes around in the top drawer and pulls out a medicine bottle. He holds it up as he says, "one of his pills looks like my Xanax. If you replace his pills with these it will put him to sleep. He takes his pills like candy. He doesn't even bother with water."

They discuss their plans for the next few hours until they have every possible contingency planned out. _Peter does enjoy having contingency plans for contingency plans._

**April 27th, 2011**

Peter switches out Gerard's pills and then texts Corbin that it's done and time for stage two of their plan.

**3 pm**

Gerard takes the first dose of his medication with the Xanax mixed in it. It is making him a little tired. He figures he didn't get enough sleep or it's the long trips to the hospital with his cancer out of control that's making him so tired.

**7 pm**.

Corbin times the next dose of Gerard's medication so that it's almost time to take his meds before he calls Gerard. Corbin tells Gerard that he wants Gerard to meet him at the high-security warehouse he rented. He claims that he has the Alpha and his daughter locked up there. He doesn't really. He has a nice studio waiting for Gerard's confession waiting for him there. He knows that kidnapping the Alpha and his daughter breaks the code so Gerard won't bring anyone with him to the warehouse.

**8 pm**

Gerard arrives and Corbin meets him outside. His watch alarm goes off and he stops to take his next dose of medication. without water. He then walks in the door with Corbin. As soon as he walks through the door, the Xanax hits him. He wobbles as he grabs his head and then reaches for the wall to sag against only the wall is farther than he remembers and he falls to the floor, unconscious.

Corbin watches him fall to the floor in a heap with a satisfied grin. He texts Peter, "The bear is asleep. Time for stage 3."

**8:30 pm**

Peter waits until Gerard is perfectly restrained before he materializes in the warehouse and steps forward into the light. He squats down and looks closely at Gerard with gleeful satisfaction. He then looks up at Corbin. "Can you handle what needs to be done to stop Gerard and set everything right? The truth is going to upset a lot of hunters."

Corbin says, "the truth shall set them free, brother."


	10. Gathering the Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really long chapter but not really a god place to break it apart

**April 27th, 2011**

**Las Vegas**

**Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area**

_**** _

Stiles hunts in the forest for the harder to find reagents for his spell work as his familiar hunts small animals and plays nearby. He looks around a tree trunk for moss. That's when he spots a familiar black car parked in the forest. _There's only one person crazy enough to drive a black sports car off-road. Into the forest. And leave it there. While he goes for a stroll, or hunt Bambi, or Thumper._ Notice the sarcasm there? He **_is_** laying it on kind of thick. He looks around as he asks, _half to himself,_ "Derek?"

Derek is nearby and hears someone say his name. _Who knows he's here? He didn't even know he was going to be here._ He follows the direction that voice came from and is pleasantly surprised to find Stiles. He smiles to himself as he attempts sneaking up on the teen. When he's about three feet away, the boy senses him and just fades from sight. _I mean, he literally just fades out._ Derek does a double-take and scratches his head as he looks around in confusion.

The boy's heartbeat is still nearby, but Derek can't see or smell him.

Derek's further confused that he can't locate or pinpoint the exact location of the boy's heartbeat. He looks around in utter confusion. "Stiles?"

Stiles breathes a sigh of relief. It _**is**_ Derek. He wasn't totally sure because he looks a little different than he did in Beacon Hills. Stiles steps out of the shadows directly next to Derek.

Derek gallantly hides his start of surprise. Or _**a**_ _ **ttempts**_ to hide it.

Stiles sheepishly says, "Sorry. I didn't recognize you with the fuzz, and you're broader than the last time I saw you. You must have been hitting the gym every day. Even more than you did when I was in Beacon Hills." _He feels the presence of his familiar circling nearby,_ warily watching for any threat from the werewolf.

Zerk seems even more on guard when Stiles lowers his.

Derek grudgingly smiles at Stiles. "Your hair has grown out as well. Why _**did**_ you leave Beacon Hills?" He notices the look of confusion cross Stiles' face, so he side-steps with a different question. "I haven't seen you since the night I killed my Uncle."

Stiles balks and steps back in shock. _Killed his uncle?_ _When was this, and why doesn't he remember something that horrific?_ "Why would you kill your uncle? Wait. I didn't even know you had an uncle? I thought Laura was your only family."

Derek barely has time to register his confusion that Stiles doesn't remember Peter or Derek killing an insane Peter before something that feels like a freight train slams into him so hard that it carries him backward six feet. To the ground. Leaving an imprint of his ass and back in the ground. With a painful, "oomph!"

He gasps for the breath he lost and looks up into glowing eyes and a snarling mouth full of razor-sharp fangs.

A deep raspy voice growls in his mind, "You will say nothing more of Peter to my master, or I will rip your heart out. _ **If he rememb** **ers**_ he had a mate and his mate's death, _**he will die,**_ just as all separated mates die! I will not let my master die!"

Derek is terrified of this creature that's cloaked in shadow. He can barely see it's huge form. He gets an overwhelming sense of something massive, built like the Greek God Atlas, only reptilian, with wings. _When did reptiles get wings?_ He feels the anger and menace rolling off this creature in waves. _And it is all directed_ _straight at him._

It takes a minute for the creature's words to catch up to Derek's shocked brain. He processes it slowly because of the shock and... fear... damn near terror. Wait! _**Mate?** **How**_ was Stiles Peter's mate? _Son of a... no wonder Stiles left!_ He must have found some witch to make him forget meeting Peter, to save his life from mate separation. If he doesn't remember meeting his mate then he can't go through mate separation. It's a loophole that most don't think about.

Stiles is suddenly kneeling next to them with his hand on Zerk's shoulder, just above where his wing joins with his back. "Don't kill Derek. He was... is... sort of... a friend. He wasn't going to hurt me." He looks for confirmation from Derek. "Were you, Derek? Going to hurt me, I mean?"

Derek shakes his head in fear. "No. I would never, knowingly, do anything to hurt you, Stiles."

A split second later, the creature takes the form of a black cat. It springs into Stiles' arms as Stiles pulls him close to his chest. It then climbs up Stiles' arm, wrapping itself around the boy's shoulder, purring as it rubs its head against Stiles' neck.

Stiles reaches both his hands down to Derek, offering to help him up because he's not sure if his ash symbol will stop Derek from touching that hand. _It may be a little bit of a test to learn if it does affect werewolves when he's not focusing his magic on it._

Derek tries to take Stiles' left hand but can't, so he takes Stiles' offered right hand. "Why can't I touch your left hand?"

Stiles smiles sheepishly and shows Derek what looks like a tattoo of a howling wolf's head formed from a triskelion.

Derek looks at it intently. His jaw drops in shock as the wolf's head turns to look at him and then returns to its original position. "How does your tattoo move?"

The cat harumphs and dismisses Derek as an idiot.

Stiles smiles. "It's not a tattoo. It's Black Hawthorn Ash that I wear. Think of it as Mountain Ash on steroids. It's much harder to use, but it can do a hell of a lot more, and it never loses its power." Stiles looks around and then at his watch. He looks at Zerk. "I found the reagents I needed to collect, so I'm finished here."

Stiles then looks back at Derek. "Are you hungry? We can talk as we get something to eat at the diner outside of the conservation area. A local coven runs it, so I have VIP status there. _Meaning it's on the house_. I can text them for a table."

Derek roves an appraising eye over Stiles form. He's more muscular and lean. Stiles is a little taller, and he's not spazzing or always moving like he used to do. He's very still and wearing dark clothes. He's more confident and calmer. He's assessing everything around him as a warrior does. Derek likes these changes. This is someone that can handle himself and hides any weakness he may have. It takes Derek a second to realize that question was directed at him. "Eat? Yes. I think I would like to eat. I was going to hunt a deer, but _ **free**_ cooked food, in a restaurant, is always better."

Stiles points to the large messenger bag he's carrying against his hip. "I need to put this at my friend's place. Give me one minute, and we can go."

Derek doesn't see a car and is about to ask how he got here when Stiles turns and takes a step into shadow and is gone. _"How the hell...?"_

A second later, Stiles is back, empty-handed. He walks to the passenger side and stands there waiting for Derek to wake up and unlock the door.

Derek is too shocked to move, so Stiles uses his magick to unlock the door and climbs inside.

Derek quickly opens his door and climbs in. He looks over at Stiles. "I vaguely remember my mom mention that Claudia Stiliniski was a natural witch and considered for the position of pack emissary. I thought such magic was taught. Who taught you?"

Stiles grows nervous in the quiet and Derek's intense questioning gaze. He scratches Zerk's ears when he jumps from Stiles' shoulder down into his lap and curls up for the drive. Stiles then word vomits a quick explanation. "I used my abilities to find a druid I can trust. I never trusted Deaton. The Ancient taught me how to use my unique natural tendencies, and I perfected my shadow magick. The Ancient thinks it runs in the bloodline and is the protective magick my family has for self-defense. I found someone to teach me how to street fight. I then acquired my familiar here to increase my protection, power, and knowledge of the arcane. We can talk more at the restaurant. I'm starving. How about you? Are you as hungry as I am?"

Derek drives as Stiles directs him to the restaurant. They pull up at _John Cutter Grill and Tavern_.

There is a line to get inside, but Stiles waves at the Bouncer by the door.

The huge guy motions them forward as he waves Stiles and Derek inside.

Derek is impressed by the place.

 _I_ _t's more a bar and grill, and it's dark enough to have some privacy._ They are seated in the back, which is a little more secluded.

The waitress asks if they want anything to drink.

Stiles asks for a Coke Zero, no ice.

Derek asks for a beer.

She hands them menus and asks, "Shade? Would your familiar like his fresh salmon, cooked or raw?"

Stiles looks at Zerk.

Zerk purs out the words, "let me see who is cooking tonight." He shifts into a raven and flies up into the rafters. He heads to the kitchen.

He returns a minute later and lands on Stiles' shoulder. He shape-shifts into a cat and says, "If Ayanna can prepare it, I'll have it cooked. If not, I'll have it raw, or should I say _fresh."_

She nods and writes it down on her pad. "Are you gentlemen ready to order?"

Derek shakes his head. "I need to look at the menu."

She smiles and says, "I'll get your drinks. Should I get a bowl of cream for Zerk?"

Zerk smiles and nods emphatically.

She giggles and walks away.

Derek says, "I didn't know familiars can shift shapes."

Stiles closes the menu and smiles. "Generally, they don't. He was showing off. If you look in the rafters, you'll see the familiars of the coven working tonight: a crow, spider, snake, and a squirrel. There is a dog and a cat by the back door. They can't change form, except for switching to their true form which is shadowy, for combat, but Zerk can assume any animal form he chooses. He's not like them. He likes to show off that he has the freedom to shift into whatever shape that he wants, whenever he wants."

Zerk smiles and purrs into Derek's mind, "yes, my master didn't lock me into one animal form as most witches do when they don't fully trust their familiar or insist on truly enslaving their familiar. My master and I have formed a partnership. I"m not his slave."

Derek puts down his menu as he asks, "if he's not your slave, why does he call you master?"

Stiles scritches his familiar's ears and between his shoulders. He enjoys hearing his familiar purr. He then looks up at Derek. "I wasn't aware that he does. I suppose, so that other witches don't question if he's my familiar or not. What brought you out here, Derek? Away from Beacon Hills? I figured you would look for willing members to build your pack back there." _He remembers how angry and upset Scott was at Derek when he believed Derek was the Alpha that attacked him and forced his lycanthropy on him._

Derek shakes his head. "Argent is a little reluctant for me to build a pack in a city with a Nemeton. He thinks that will attract stronger villains. Besides, I have no training as an Alpha. I don't want to be responsible for anyone, especially after the one person I bit became a Kanima."

Stiles nods. "I heard about that."

Derek sighs as he leans back in his chair. "I heard a rumor that a possible Hale survivor of the fire was out this way, and I'm looking for evidence that my little sister is still alive. Why did the waitress call you Shade?"

Stiles smiles. "That's a lot of questions. Let's see. I don't... I don't... remember... why I left Beacon Hills. I do remember that I needed to learn magick and how to protect myself. I'm doing both." He takes a sip of his water. "I'm also wandering around and helping any coven that asks me for help with predators or hunters. I don't want anyone to go after my dad to get at me, so I go by the name Shade Gaia. I have a voice mail that anyone can call and leave me a message. Most covens can reach me or find someone that can. I call them back, get information, research, and then help them out. Covens pass on information among themselves, like the information about anything that affects them. Hunters, supernaturals, me. When I pass a coven owned business, they normally offer me a meal, or coffee, or a room, with little to no charge. One of the covens I helped gave me a motorcycle that I use to travel by day. When it's dark, I can travel through the shadows to wherever I want, instantaneously. Tell me what information you have on your missing sister, and I can see if I can text the coven intranet to find any information to help you on your way. Yes. That's intranet and not internet."

The waitress comes back with their drinks and takes their orders.

Zerk drops to the floor and climbs under the table. 

Stiles holds the bowl of thick cream to the side of the table.

A reptilian tail slides out and takes the cream from Stiles. There is a brief sound of lapping, and then an immense taloned hand hands the empty bowl back to Stiles.

Derek is still nervous about that familiar. Who's he kidding?! _That thing terrifies him._ Derek looks up at Stiles and is impressed with the boy. He tells Stiles about the rumors that Satomi heard about Cora Hale.

Stiles sends out a few texts, and then they talk about Stiles and his ability with shadows and his impressive familiar. Then they talk about Derek and his landscaping job in Beacon Hills for the local nursery. They continue talking as they eat. Stiles occasionally checks some text and then sends more. The waitress brings out a large cooked salmon and puts it on the ground by the table and then asks if they would like dessert. They both shake their head.

A humongous clawed hand pulls the platter under the table, and there is a brief ripping and cracking sound. Zerk pushes out the tray with a few bones on it, and then the cat resumes its place in Stiles' lap.

Stiles gets a text and sits up. "I got it. Witches in Wyoming spotted Cora Hale and recognized her. She's been living in the Yosemite National Forest. Alone and in the woods. _She's not fully feral, but she's not all there, either_. She's living like a human animal, in a cave, near Sonora Pass. North of New Melones Lake."

Derek thanks him for the information and is happy to discover there is no bill for their meal. He breathes a sigh of relief. He could imagine how expensive his steak was as well as that huge salmon and the lasagna that Stiles ate.

When they get outside to the car, Stiles grabs Derek's arm. "Derek. I need to warn you. There are covens of witches and druids everywhere, ** _but Beacon Hills._** Chris Argent told me Deaton is dead. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Deaton and his sister Morrell killed any witch or druid they found. Deaton claimed the Hale pack gave him those orders and that the Alpha Pack ordered his sister to do the same. Deaton was a hunter and best friends with Gerard Argent. He betrayed Talia to Gerard. I mean, he knew who Kate was and didn't warn your family that she was in town back then, or that she was working at the school, or buying large amounts of wolfsbane."

Derek looks at him. "It's funny you should say that. Deaton left me a letter revealing that he betrayed my clan because he wanted the Nemeton and that he was a hunter for Gerard Argent. Luckily, Gerard is dead."

Stiles shakes his head. "No. He's not. At least, not anymore. One of the hunters that attacked me on a recent job said that a necromancer brought Gerard and Kate back. They are somewhere on the west coast. I'm avoiding them. Be careful, Derek."

Derek's jaw drops, and he shakes his head in disbelief. "Damn! Yeah, I will! Thanks, Stiles. For the Information! I mean, Shade."

Stiles nods and disappears into the darkness.

He reappears outside Eliot's place.

**April 28th, 2011**

**Wyoming**

Peter finds an old abandoned jail with Iron cages and a free-standing iron cage in the basement where they used to keep a wrestling bear imprisoned. He hires a construction crew to soundproof the basement. He then gets a blow torch and the equipment to weld the door shut once he puts Kate in that cell. He takes some inspiration from that movie Saw and fits a chair with restraints that amputate if you try to break free.

**April 28th, 2011**

**Las Vegas**

Stiles gets a voice mail from his friend Sawyer. The Alpha of the transient construction worker Wolf Pack.

Sawyer and his pack are outside of Forks, Washington. Yeah, Sawyer knows. _Forks, right_. They actually went there to see the place that inspired a sparkly vampire for the _Twilight_ movie franchise.

Anyways. There is a pack of Alphas that have Sawyer's pack pinned down in the city. Any time they try to leave, they get attacked. They need help and don't know who else to call. The Alphas have killed two werewolves that happened to be passing through and thought about joining up with Sawyer's pack.

Stiles calls the number Sawyer left in the voice mail. _Stiles thought **he** word-vomits when he's nervous. _He writes down notes about the problem in his notebook so he can research before he goes. A pack of Alphas doesn't sound like a cakewalk.

 _Notes: Alpha Pack  
_ _The leader is Deucalion. A blind werewolf that the others are afraid of and follow unquestionably.  
_ _Other members are Kali, who doesn't wear shoes because she has foot claws and is adept at foot fighting.  
_ _Ennis is a giant of a man and Kali's mate.  
_ _A set of twins, named Ethan and Aiden. They are the pack's Omegas. They can join together into one creature.  
Morrell was their emissary, but she disappeared when Deaton died.  
_

Stiles researches for three hours and finds that when a werewolf loses his pack and the pack bonds break, they feel it. If the Alpha kills that pack, they use those pack bonds to absorb the strength and powers of that pack. This makes all of those Alphas both stronger _**and**_ more unstable than other Alphas. When Deucalion told them to kill their packs, they obeyed.

Stiles also finds mention that when A werewolf is permanently injured, like blindness, the human part of them is limited, but if they use their wolf abilities like the shining eyes, the wolf isn't injured, so it compensates. That means Deucalions glowing red eyes allow him to see. He's also adapted his werewolf hearing and scent to make up for the human blindness. Deucalion is going to be hard to fight unless he can hide his smell. He can hide in shadow, but when he makes an attack, it drops him out of the shadows.

Stiles researches ways to hide your scent, both magickally and herbally.

**April 29th, 2011**

**Wyoming**

Peter is hunting Kate for the next part of his plan. He's running out of time and needs to kill the Argents. He finds Kate loading a truck at _Home Depot_ with building supplies for Gerard's new base.

Gerard has her setting up while he's in Texas for his secretive monthly chemo treatments and tests that not even Kate knows about.

Peter reaches in his pocket for the syringe he stole from the hospital's surgery wing. He uncaps the needle and stands next to the truck door.

Kate opens the door and slides into the truck. She leans over and out to grab the door so she can pull it closed.

Peter takes on solid form and jabs the syringe of _Midazolam_ into her neck.

She's unconscious in seconds.

Peter pushes her over to the passenger side and drives her to the jail in her truck. He then tosses her over his shoulder and carries her down to the basement. He wants to enjoy killing her this time. Well, technically, she will kill herself. He intends for her to amputate a hand or foot, _maybe more than one,_ and then bleed out when she discovers there is no way she can open the door without a blowtorch. He uses a blowtorch and welds the door shut from the outside so that she can't see there is no possible way for her to leave that cell without her own blowtorch. Just to be safe, he leaves his blowtorch upstairs.

He then turns on several monitors that are hooked to hidden cameras in Texas that are trained on Gerard. Each one is at a different angle. _There are four in total._ Corbin only knows about the big obvious camera that he set up himself.

Peter has Kate's jail cell set up for surround-a-sound so she can hear Gerard perfectly well. He smiles at her front-row seat to the festivities of Gerard's untimely death. Very timely in his book.

Peter grows bored with waiting for her to wake up, so he snaps one of those salt packets they use to wake up a passed out boxer.

Kate starts awake and groggily looks around. She doesn't remember anything or understand how she wound up being in this place. It takes a minute for her to focus her eyes and look around. When she sees the monitors and what Corbin is doing to Gerard, she is fully awake and furious.

Peter steps into the light. "Kate." He purrs evilly, "It was so good of you to take up my invitation to watch my new live-action movie being filmed right now in Texas." He gestures to the monitor showing a bloody Gerard telling everyone all about his recruitment methods and his policy for killing his men for their life insurance.

Kate looks at Peter in shock and fear. "Peter? You're dead!"

He tsks as he shakes his head as he allows himself to become transparent before solidifying again. "Yes. I'm dead. Technically, so are you. Well, you were before that necromancer brought you and Gerard back. The funny thing about that spell is it brings you back the way you left."

She looks around for the exit or a way out of this place. She jerks her hand and feels the blade dig into her wrist, and blood drip down her hand. She quickly stills.

Peter smiles. "That movie, _Saw,_ gave me a few ideas. By the way. I already killed the necromancer and Deaton. You won't be coming back again."

He stands up as she snarls in anger, "you won't get away with this. My people are looking for me."

Peter points to the monitor. "In case you haven't noticed..." He points to the screen. "...that's Gerard's lieutenant getting Gerard's confession. No one is looking for you, or cares if you live, or die." He turns back to Kate. "Before he died the last time, Gerard was dying of cancer and trying to get an Alpha bite so he wouldn't die. He was using his family as disposable pawns to get that for him. Not surprisingly, he's doing the exact same thing again. He's using you to force the weakest Alpha he can find into biting him so he can beat cancer and be like superman as he rules the pack as the new Alpha."

She shakes her head. "He would never want that."

Peter smiles. "He wants to be an Alpha and intends to kill any Alpha he forces to give him the bite." He points to the screen. "Listen to the confession Corbin gets him to make."

He stands up and passes through the bars as smoke. He goes to the little table and picks up several folders of papers. He phases back through the bars into the cell. Peter opens one and drops it to the ground at her feet. "This shows that Gerard makes his money by putting life insurance policies on his hunters and then killing them." He opens another folder of missing person reports, a folder or recruitment profiles of her hunters, and a folder of death reports of the dead hunters. He then drops the picture Stiles had found of Gerard with a spiked mace killing his hunters.

She's shaking his head. "No. He wouldn't do that. He follows the code."

Peter shakes his head. "Killing a werewolf's child to force them into attacking you isn't following the code. I'm sure if anyone tortured and killed Allison that you would attack and kill them."

She concedes that point. She would kill them very painfully and messily.

Peter steps back out of the cage. "I have to go ensure Gerard dies. I need his soul. Be a good little girl and watch the screen."

She tries to act sultry and entice him to let her go or come close enough that she can get something from him to help her get out.

Peter laughs. "Your body is close enough to a man's body, but you are in no way enticing. You are the biggest slut I have ever seen, and I prefer innocence. As if being a slut isn't bad enough, you're also a pedophile. I have a mate out there that is everything you are not. Mates are always better than sluts."

She snarls that her charms aren't appreciated.

He turns to go, but turns back, "As you noticed that chair is inspired by _Saw._ If you try hard enough to get away, it _**will**_ amputate your hands and feet. If you don't mind losing a hand or foot, try and escape. Make my day. Hell! Make my decade! I have to go."


	11. Gerard

**Forks, Washington**

**April 29th, 2011**

Stiles drives into Forks and nonchalantly rides near where Sawyer and his pack are holed up. He senses the Alpha members in a loose ring around the hideout. He goes to a gas station down the road and texts his friend, Sawyer. "I'm down the road. I detected three of the Alphas nearby. I'm going to pick up a few supplies from the _Lowes_ a little up the road from you and I'll use the cover of darkness and shadows to sneak into your den tonight. Do you need any water or food while I'm at it?"

Sawyer texts back. "Roger that. Need fresh water. We've been living on pancake mix that just needs water and we're using rainwater for that. Our Sterno is almost exhausted as well."

Stiles text back. "Got it."

Stiles goes to _Lowes_ and find that they _**don't**_ have what he wants so he goes to the _Ace hardware_ store.

He smiles when he sees that Ace Hardware is in the same building as Outfitters, a thrift store, and a grocery store. One-stop shopping made easy.

Zerk climbs onto Stiles' shoulder as he walks into the _Ace Hardware_ store.

The clerk spots the cat and says, "no animals allowed, sir. I'll have to ask you to leave your cat outside."

Zerk shifts into shadow and Stiles coldly stares at the man. "What cat?"

The man shakes his head in confusion as he scratches his head. "I could have sworn I saw a black cat on your shoulder."

Stiles sniffs disdainfully at the man. He catches a scent of alcohol and walks past the man as he asks, "isn't it a little early in the day for Vodka?"

The man stammers, "it was just a shot in my coffee." He realizes he's trying to justify himself to a customer he's never seen before. He turns around and quickly bundles away. Muttering to himself.

Stiles grabs a case of Sterno, several lengths of chain, a sack of potting soil, metal spikes for a tent, a _sweet_ hunting knife, baby Rowan trees (the source of mountain ash), and baby Black Hawthorne trees, as well as chalk, and candles. He gets a large duffle bag and carefully packs everything inside. Stiles smiles at the witch working the register as Zerk shifts back into sight.

She nods at Stiles and leans in to whisper, "Shade? What's going on?"

Stiles nods as he smiles at her. "The Alpha Pack has an innocent wolf pack trapped in a house nearby and won't let them leave. They are trying to kill my friends. I came to help them. If I have to kill the Alpha Pack in the process, well, they are bringing that on themselves."

She nods. "If you can hold off on attacking them until tomorrow morning, I can get help from my coven." She continues ringing up his order and gives him her employee discount.

Stiles looks at his watch. "Sunset is at 8:13 tonight. Sunrise is at 6:20. I can wait until an hour before dawn. Do you think you can get some help in by then?"

She nods.

Stiles nods with a smile. "Then we have a deal. He shakes her hand and walks out the door."

Stiles then goes to the grocery store next door and gets a can opener, cans of food that don't take long to cook, a large bottle of cooking oil, and plenty of first aid supplies for after the fight. He sees a large flounder in the seafood department and buys it for his familiar.

He gets on his bike and drives around town to learn the layout of the land and to get a better look at the town exits and roads leading up to the house that Sawyer is staying in.

_Sawyer is in an old farmhouse off of Minnie Peterson Road. If Stiles follows the treeline from Ace hardware on foot, or on his bike, it's about half a mile away._

Stiles then goes to the Dewdrop Inn that's between here and there and gets a room. He opens the wrapping paper from the fish and sets it on the floor for Zerk to eat while he takes a nice long shower.

Zerk happily rips apart the fish and devours it all, leaving only the head bone.

Stiles emerges from the shower, gathers the fishbone for a reagent, and climbs onto the bed to get comfortable as he makes a few rough plans to go over with Sawyer. He sets his alarm for 6 pm and takes a short nap.

**Texas**

**1 pm**

Peter appears next to Corbin wearing a thick heavy woolen ski mask to hide his face from the camera. He holds up the picture of Gerard with the spiked Pike killing his hunters in Beacon Hills to the camera and then shows it to Gerard. He disguises his voice by talking raspy and in a very bad Australian cowboy accent. "Gerard. This looks like you're killing your own men. This one looks like you're blinding the innocent werewolf that you blamed for the attack on your men. These life insurance policies show that you collect the life insurance policies on all of the hunters you kill. I have proof in my hands that you killed your men for their life insurance policies _for the last forty years._ You kill innocent civilians and then tell their families that werewolves did it and then you show them the bodies of your dead hunters as proof that you kill killer werewolves killers. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Gerard spits a mouthful of blood at Peter and says, "that is the mandated recruitment method for our family and has been for generations. It ensures my men hate werewolves as much as I do."

Peter leans down to look into Gerard's eyes. "That means _ **none** _of the humans that you claim to find dead or attempted to protect _**were ever**_ attacked by werewolves. _**You** are the killer._ You killed Corbin's brother and even the brother of your son's wife. I wonder what Victoria would say if she knew that werewolves don't ever attack humans unless you hunters killed all of their pack and left them feral and insane."

Gerard laughs and smiles, "I give my men the chance to let out their inner serial killer. I give them the chance to kill without retribution. Corbin excels as a ruthless killer. I'm sure he appreciates that I killed his brother and offered him the freedom from the justice system to pursue his taste for killing."

Corbin punches Gerard in the face. "You fucking bastard! I hate killing and I hate finding bodies that I now know to be your work. _I'm not a killer!_ I seek to protect people from evil sadistic bastards like you!" He pulls out a long knife and stabs Gerard in the heart before Peter is even aware of what he's planning to do.

Peter smiles as the jewel on his wrist lights up as it absorbs the soul of his enemy. He steps back into the shadows and goes back to Wyoming.

**Still April 29th, 2011**

**Wyoming**

Peter arrives in time to hear the echo of Kate's scream as she watches her father die on the screen. She's in such a hurry to get to Gerard that she forgets about the blades in the restraints and tries to free herself. The blade on her left-hand cuts down to the bone, but it's neither strong enough nor sharp enough to cut through the bone. The blade in the restraint on her other hand doesn't cut as deep.

It takes a few minutes before she feels the warmth of the blood flowing over the arms of her chair and onto her legs.

Peter takes on a solid form next to her as she grows lightheaded from the sudden blood loss. He tsks. "Well. I assume that the Saw movie didn't take into account how strong bone is and how much pressure is required to cut through bone. Oh well. It doesn't matter. You'll soon be dead from blood loss. Did I mention that I welded the door shut?"

She looks at him in hazy horror as it gets hard for her to focus on him. Everything is blurry and it's suddenly hard to breathe. She slumps down in her chair as she croaks, "you won't get away with this."

Peter steps forward and says, "I'm dead. No one will suspect that a dead man killed you in Wyoming at almost the same time that the same dead man was in Texas ensuring the death of Gerard." He removes the mask and drops it in a pool of her blood as he stoops down to her face. "I will do anything I need to so that I can return to life for my mate. His life and his happiness are all that I care about. You. You can go to hell! Your father's necromancer is already there, meaning that none of you can come back."

She spits at him as she dies.

The jewel on his wrist lights up as the third soul is collected. Peter breathes a sigh of relief as he turns and leaves the jail.

Once he's in the fresh air again he feels a slight breeze when there is no wind and he smells the jasmine scent he associates with Death. He turns around in time to see Death appear in leather, astride a motorcycle.

Death smiles at Peter. "Good job." He dismounts and steps up to Peter. He takes the jewels as he lays a hand on Peter's chest.

The sudden pain of Peter's heart beating once more makes him drop to the ground as he writhes in pain.

Peter's corpse disappears from Beacon Hills in a wisp of smoke and solidifies around his walking, and now breathing, soul. He gasps in pain as his body becomes solid and his lungs attempt to remember how to breathe again.

Death smiles. "Good job, Peter. I _**was**_ going to let you _**figure out**_ how to _ **find**_ Stiles **_and_** get him to remember you on your own as I sat back and enjoyed your struggle." He sighs. "I changed my mind. I could say that Deaton's death bought you a token of help, but Stiles is worth more to me alive than dead." Death looks at the sun to judge the time of day. "The druid that erased Stiles' memory of you has the item you need to break the spell in Brownling California. I suggest you hurry. Stiles is taking on the Alpha Pack to the north and unless you show up to save him, he's going to die. You will need that item to get him to remember you though. Take this motorcycle and go. Go now!"

He hands over the motorcycle to Peter.

Peter climbs on and says, "thank you."

Death lays a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Don't thank me yet. You've been dead for months. That means you have been separated from your mate. For months. I estimate that you will be feral within twenty hours. Hurry!"

Peter's mouth goes dry, making it hard to swallow. He quickly texts the druidess that he's on his way. He nods to Death, starts the motor and heads cross-country to Brownling. He doesn't bother with roads. He just heads in that direction. It's a fifteen-and-a-half-hour drive from Table Rock Wyoming to Brownling California. He makes it in twelve.

**Forks, Washington**

**8 pm**

Stiles wakes up from his nap, dresses, packs, and leaves the hotel. Now that the sun has set he can use the shadow of night to get in Sawyer's house without the Alpha Pack detecting him.

Sawyer claps a hand over his mouth as a couple of his pack fall off the couch when they spot Stiles materializes outside the back screen door.

They rush out and help him bring in his supplies. They then lock and bolt the doors and windows to reduce the chances of the Alpha Pack realizing that Stiles is in their house.

Stiles unpacks his supplies.

Sawyer and the pack help themselves to the food and water.

Stiles uses one of the Sterno cans to make a few makeshift Molotovs. They will have to light the gel before they throw it at the Alphas in order for it to be effective.

They go over a map of the area as Stiles points out where he detected the Alphas hiding. They make plans on how to fight them and how to include the local witches. Stiles then pulls out one of his books and a permanent marker. He draws several sigils on himself. One is for faster healing and one is for thicker skin so that it's harder to hurt him. He then draws one for strength and one for speed. "I'll activate them an hour before dawn. The only problem is I can't use strength and speed at the same time and I have to reduce the power going to healing and thick skin in order to use more than one at a time. I only have so much energy to direct at a time. Let's get some rest until the fight."

Sawyer nods. "We need to take turns keeping watch in case they detect you're here and decide to attack us tonight."

The pack draws lots for the watch shifts. They don't let Stiles draw a straw because he's their backup and they want and need him at his strongest.

Stiles sets his alarm for 4 am and goes to sleep with Zerk curled up on his pillow, in cat form.

**April 30th, 2011**

**Brownling, California**

**1 am**

A half-feral Peter bangs on the female druid's door. He doesn't care if it is one in the morning.

She answers the door after a solid minute of Peter's heavy banging. She immediately sees he's half-feral. She tries to calm him, but he's panicked and in a rush.

Peter rushes out, "Death says Stiles is taking on the Alpha Pack and he's going to die if I don't get to him in time. I have to save him! I need the item to break his memory spell. Please. Please help me get to him in time."

She nods and runs into the house. She returns a moment later with the amulet. She quickly throws it around his neck. "You'll have to kiss him because of him and not because of what you can get from him to open the amulet and his memory. Your half-feral now. I don't know how sane you will be when you get to him. The word on the Witch Intranet says he's in Forks, Washington, protecting his werewolf friend from the Alpha Pack. I can use a teleportation spell to send you to a witch pack close to there. The closest I can get is Portland, Oregon."

She looks at her phone. "It's a twenty-five-hour drive from here and only five hours from Portland. You'll get there at sunrise. It's the best I can do."

He looks at her gratefully. "Anything you can do will be helpful. I appreciate this. I really do."

She takes him out back to a pentagram carved into a stone floor to a house that is no longer there. She makes him stand in the center with the motorcycle. Once he's in place, she casts the spell and teleports him to as similar pentagram in Portland, Oregon.

He immediately hops on his bike, feels for the tug on his connection to his mate, and then speeds off to save his mate.

Peter drives the motorcycle cross country until he's on the 101. Just south of Forks. Somewhere near Bogachiel State Park, Peter loses his last shred of humanity and forgets how to control a motorcycle, crashing into the guard rail on the side of the interstate.

He shifts to Alpha and can't remember how to stand up like a man. He leaves his clothes and the bike where they fell. Peter roars in anger, loss, and frustration. He then runs north to his mate. The only thought on his feral mind is he has to find his mate. He needs his mate! He has to save him!


	12. Sunrise Showdown

**Forks, Washington**

**May 1st, 2011**

**4 am**

Stiles awakens quickly. His body feels buzzy and tingly. In the past, he would say that was his ADHD acting up and take an Adderall. Now? Now he knows that buzzing under his skin is his magick. He knows his body is gearing up for a battle and looking for ways to protect him.

Stiles pulls out his laptop and powers it up. He writes one of those _'if you're reading this'_ letter to his dad. He opens a Notepad document above it saying, "if something happens to me, dad, read the letter below this note."

Sawyer's pack gathers in the living room and silently waits for him to finish what he's doing.

Stiles finishes and looks up at them with a serious face. He gets them all to solemnly vow that if something happens to him that any survivors of Sawyer's pack will get Stiles' laptop to his dad. He needs the Sheriff of Beacon Hills to get his goodbye letter.

They all make the vow with one hand over their heart as they raise Boy Scout fingers and swear him the solemn oath.

Stiles focuses on the coming battle and charges up the sigils and runes he drew on his body last night. He's a little amazed that the extra buzzing of his magic already started charging them. He breathes a small sigh of relief that he doesn't have to exert as much magick as he thought he would.

The werewolves join him as they gather around the rough map of the area on the large kitchen table.

Stiles marks _a white circle_ around the house they are in. "This is our base camp." He then _draws five red x'_ s. "This is the Alpha Pack members. I think these two x's together, over here, are the twins. They fight by forming into one huge monstrous barbarian werewolf, so it makes sense that they would be together." He then draws _four black x's_. "This is the witches from the local coven. I estimate three of them are defensive magic and one is..., if we're lucky, offensive. Witches in general, _tend to only be defensive because they value protection over attacking_. Frankly, I'll take whatever they give us." He then draws _five blue x's. "_ This is where I think the five of us should go to lure the Alpha Pack into attacking us, away from civilians. We can't just sneak away or they'll follow and try this again when you don't have allies to help. We need to do some damage to them on our way out of here. I hope to take out at least two of their pack. They'll feel that if we kill one of them that it's a lucky shot, but if we kill two of them... two kills mean that we can defend ourselves and we aren't their prey."

Zerk thinks there should be a green x to the south for the feral Alpha, Peter. _But that's not something he should know about and therefore says nothing because Peter is Stiles' **protector,** not his enemy._ God help anyone that ever hurts Stiles when Peter's around! He stays silent about Death sending Peter this way. _Besides, he doesn't know how far away Peter is or even if he will be able to arrive in time to help._ He prays that Peter is in time and nothing happens to Stiles. He feels that he would be lost without his new... partner. Even though their relationship is new. He would gladly kneel before Stiles if he asked it of him and not just to play like the perfect familiar before other familiars or witches. He looks fondly at Stiles.

_Unseen by all and in the realm of the dead, Death enters the Sawyer pack's living room._

_He sits on the back of the couch as he watches Stiles make their battle plans._ _Death smiles to himself. If Stiles is gravely injured, he just swoops in and makes a deal to let Stiles live. He's never met anyone that didn't want to deal to live. If Peter dies, Stiles will never remember that the man existed. If Peter saves Stiles, Still will make a deal to help Peter regain his sanity. WIn-win. The only loss that Death sees is if Stiles dies. He frowns at that idea, but he's played them both so well that he knows that that will never happen. He then turns and leaves the house. He wants a front-row view of the coming battle. He's not above sitting in a tree-top to watch the festivities._

Sawyer thoughtfully grips his chin as he looks at the map. "So what you're saying is that we're in the center of the battle zone? The Alphas are primarily between the city exit to our east and the witches are to our north. Do we wait for the witches to join with us or do we attack the Alphas and hope the witches join in?"

Stiles studies the map with a tight jaw.

Zerk's tail flicks restlessly from his vantage point on Stiles' shoulder.

Stiles nods. "The witches _**won't** _join us. They will remain at their current location or maybe move a little closer. They will either send healing magic to our wounded or possibly send strength and stamina to us to help us fight the Alphas. They will stay at a safe distance since _they don't fight._ That's why they contact me for my special jobs. To do the fighting for them." He scratches his purring cat. "Zerk and I can handle most things that come our way."

One of the werewolves puts half a pear on a plate next to Stiles. He doesn't think Stiles has eaten anything and he thought he heard Stiles' tummy rumble. He doesn't want to accidentally make a claim on him so sets it down to hand the food to him.

Stiles smiles at him and takes a bite of the pear. "Thanks. I am a little hungry." He looks at the map again. "The witches will give us some protection." He points to the red x's as he explains his plan. "These are the twins. We can defeat them when they are alone but not when they are together... We need to stay away from them. This one in the back must by their leader, Deucalion. We need to avoid him because he's stronger than all of the other Alphas combined. _Deucalion doesn't like to get his hands dirty._ The Male, Ennis, is also tough, but we can defeat him together and I think since Sawyer is an Alpha and I'm not a werewolf that you or I ensure that we make the killing blow to any of the Alphas."

The others nod their heads.

Robert says, "One Alpha is all we need. Sawyer is our chosen Alpha."

They agree.

Stiles continues with their plans. "The female is arrogant and her anger has a hair-trigger. She thinks she's all that because she fights with the claws on her feet." _Females tend to be not as strong as males._ "Most of us know how to fight against a kick fighter. I suggest we go after her first."

Rick asks, "what about her mate? Won't he protect her?"

Stiles says, "in an Alpha Pack, mating doesn't hold the same significance as it does to us." He stops as he realizes what he just said. **_Us?_** Why did he say **_us?_** _He doesn't want to think about that for some reason._ He shrugs and continues, "Ennis will become enraged when she dies. That'll reduce his ability to fight since he won't be able to think clearly. _**Then**_..., we take him out."

Sawyer points to the map. "This X should be either the female or the male. It sounds like we use the same strategy to fight either one. I think we should attack this X no matter whether it's the male or the female."

They all nod.

Stiles nods and stands. "We _**can't**_ get in each other's way or hurt ourselves while we hurt them. _Batman said that when he fights a group of enemies he gets close so they hurt each other._ Groups generally only know how to fight a group and not a single target. _They do more damage to each other than he does._ I think we each need to focus on different body parts of our enemy so we don't make that mistake. Sawyer, take the chest and throat. Rick, take the right arm. Robert, take the right leg. Lenny, take the left arm, and I'll take the left leg."

Everyone nods and silently heads out the door.

Stiles takes out his new prized hunting knife, examines it, and then secures the scabbard against the small of his back, hilt down. He leads the way as they head for what they hope is Kali's location. Stiles relaxes a little as he feels the witches power-up and focus their strength and stamina magick on them.

They'll need it while fighting the Alphas. _Any wound caused by an Alpha takes longer to heal and Alphas, especially those that have killed entire packs for their power, **are** stronger and faster._

Stiles purposely walks loudly, a little ahead of the others, so as to draw Kali out to confront the weak human he pretends to be. _Humans **are** weak and fragile and as stealthy as an elephant walking on a twig laden path. Loud and clumsy AF! _Stiles loves when his enemies underestimate him because of their perception of his appearance.

Stiles is barely fifty feet into the trees when Kali stalks forward from the shadow of the trees with her cocky attitude and seductive smile.

She grew bored of waiting for them to come out so she decided to head towards Sawyer's farmhouse to draw them out somehow. That's when she heard Stiles crashing through the trees. She purrs evilly, "You really should pick your friends more carefully. Traveling with werewolves will get you killed." She leans forward and whispers conspiratorily. "I'm the one that's going to kill you. Little Human." She then kicks at his face with her foot claws. 

Stiles catches her ankle when her foot is inches from his face and smiles at her. _**"You**_ won't be the one to kill me, bitch!" He then uses his magical strength to throw her into the closest tree. The sound of her body hitting that tree makes a loud whump as a large crack spreads through the tree trunk.

Kali's on her feet before she ever hits the ground, shaking off her surprise at the impact. _That hurt!_ Humans shouldn't be able to do that. She growls and jumps at the boy.

Stiles ducks and side-steps as he casts a silence spell on her so she can't call the other Alphas to help her with her roars or screams.

Sawyer drops out of the tree that Stiles ducks behind and slashes his claws into her shoulder as he lands behind her.

She spins and roars, or she _tries_ to roar. _She very quickly realizes she can't make a sound._ She looks at Stiles in shock. She doesn't understand what taking her voice accomplishes for them. _What is he? He **smells** human?_

Stiles snarls, "I may be human but I'm also a witch. I'm just better at hiding it." He touches the cracked tree trunk and repairs the damage as a show-off gesture.

She grabs at Sawyer and slams her fist into his neck, stunning him as he drops to his knees, holding his throat, gasping to catch a breath.

Robert slips forward from behind Sawyer and smashes a large rock, _or a small boulder_ , across her toe-talons on her left foot, breaking them off.

At the same time, Lenny jumps forward and slashes his claws across her right arm, leaving deep gouges in her flesh.

Kali turns and slashes at Robert's head with her left arm as her right arm attempts to heal. 

Stiles dives forward into her back with a tackle that any football player would be proud of, knocking her off balance and off-center so she that she misses Robert's head by inches.

Kali grabs Stiles by the back of the neck and quickly tosses him aside, and into a nearby tree. She then turns back to the pack that is warily circling around her with sideways crab steps.

They are watching for an opening to strike at her again. Each male werewolf focuses their attacks on the body part they agreed on.

Stiles fades into shadows as Ennis charges at his back from behind a tree.

Ennis barrels through the space Stiles had occupied only a moment before, and directly into a thick tree trunk, knocking it down. The questioning grunt he makes as he realizes he can't see where the human went is purely comical.

Sawyer fights in close-quarter combat with Kali. He is so close to her that she's limited in the use of her remaining set of foot talons, while his pack takes potshots at her from the sides. It reminds him of Dana Carvey [playing slap face with his enemy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP05le99E1o) in _The Master of Disguise_ movie

Ennis growls in anger that this battle isn't the cakewalk Deucalion promised them. _They shouldn't be able to hold off an Alpha pack's attack like this._ He charges at Sawyer's back.

Stiles takes his new favorite knife and stabs at Ennis as he charges past Stiles in the Shadow Realm. The knife digs into the wall-shaped werewolf's shoulder, forcing Stiles to drop out of the shadows with his attack.

Ennis grabs Stiles' arms and tosses him towards a thick tree about twenty feet away. Stiles' knife is still buried in the back of Ennis' shoulder as Stiles is thrown away so fast that he couldn't pull his knife free.

Zerk catches Stiles in mid-air and prevents him from careening into the massive tree trunk. He snarls at Ennis and attacks him in the form of a large black panther.

Stiles catches his breath for a second as he sees his friends healing just almost as fast as the Alphas are with the help of the witches' healing magick. Thank the gods they are focusing their energy on Stiles and Sawyer's pack.

Ennis gets up and catches Robert, lifting him off the ground and holding him suspended over his head. He then tosses Robert into the tree trunk hard enough to snap his ribs and crack his skull. He sags to the ground unconscious. _It's not life-threatening wounds just unconsciousness from a blow to the head._ Given enough time, he will heal. He definitely has a concussion from that blow, though.

Kali slices her claws at Rick's neck. _Killing him as she tears out his esophagus._

Stiles picks up his knife from the ground, casts a spell on it to strike deep and true at the heart of evil. He then throws it at Ennis. It sinks deep into his heart. Killing him.

Kali slams Sawyer into a tree hard enough to knock him out. He drops like a sack of cement.

Stiles snarls, "No!"

She silently laughs that she hurt someone Stiles cares about and steps towards him.

The twins' monstrous combined-form attempts to attack Stiles' back but Zerk intercepts them with his shadowy, winged serpentine form. _It looks like a shadowy kanima on two legs with wings._ He must stand over seven-feet tall instead of the Kanima's five-feet form, hunched on all four.

Stiles holds out his hand toward Kali and then makes a fist as he focuses his telekinesis at her heart, and then he smirks at her as he squeezes it.

She drops to her knees, clutching at her chest. Silently screaming and looking at him in shock and fear.

He squeezes harder and twists again.

She falls over dead.

Deucalion charges out of the forest, heading straight for Stiles. _He intends to kill Stiles. The witch! Before he can get off any spells at him or aim his telekinesis at the blind Alpha._

Zerk is deep in combat with Tweedle (Dee and Dum combined) and can't get to Stiles' side in time. _He's too far away._ He yells a warning. "Duck, master! Hide!" He turns away from the twins he's in the middle of fighting to run and protect Stiles. _His Stiles!_

Twiddle takes an attack of opportunity on Zerk's back, slashing their claws through Zerk's leathery right-wing and deep into his back.

Zerk's movement is halted by the claws in his back. He roars and snarls as his tail wraps around Tweedle's neck and throws him through three trees and out of sight. Zerk then continues his attempt to protect Stiles.

The twins lie where they landed, stunned, and winded, as they question _what just happened?_ It takes them a moment to realize that the force of the impact knocked them apart from each other when they momentarily lost consciousness.

Stiles bends over Sawyer's still form, ensuring his friend is still alive. He hears Zerk's warning and then his howl of pain and the ensuing crashing noise of the twins getting tossed away. He looks up in time to see the chaos of Zerk throwing Twiddle with his tail and then rushing to protect him from the Alpha of Alphas. Stiles sees Deucalion's too close and moving too fast to stop. He knows, he just knows, with deadly certainty, that Zerk can't get there in time and Stiles doesn't have time to get off a spell or defend himself. He prays that his stone skin rune saves him as his eyes widen, inhaling deeply, as he stands to meet the attack.

Deucalion's claws tear into Stiles' shirt as there is a loud growl and an unearthly, inhuman, and savage snarl that sounds like it came from the bowels of hell.

 _Stiles wonders, what fresh hell this is?_ Stiles hits his head on the tree behind him as he attempts to get some distance between him and where Deucalion was just standing. He rubs his head as he sees stars. When he realizes that he's still breathing and not in serious pain, Stiles knows that he's still alive and Deucalion wasn't able to kill him with those razor-sharp claws of his. He cautiously looks around to see what happened. 

A huge monstrous shape with glowing red eyes smashed into Deucalion and carries him into, and through, the tree that Sawyer hit and cracked. Barely preventing those outstretched talons from slices and dicing Stiles.

 _What is that thing or creature?_ He knows that it isn't Zerk. It looks... familiar?... No... It feels... familiar. He can't remember why he would think it looks familiar. Stiles shakes his head to clear his vision.

He's seeing double and he's a little stunned from the force of the blow to his head. Humans don't bounce back as quickly as werewolves. He drops to his knees before he falls on his ass as the world heaves with his dizziness. He vomits. Oh, God! He's hit with a wave of severe tiredness. He's so damn tired and weak! _He's used too much magick, too fast!_ The stone skin rune kept him from getting sliced and diced but it took it out of him. Not to mention the highly focused telekinetic attack he used, twice, inside Kali's heart didn't help either.

That's when Sawyer raises his head and sees a large mutant or feral Alpha wolf ripping through Deucalion. It leaves pieces of the Alpha of Alpha everywhere as it dismembers him. There must be an eight-foot radius of body parts.

The twins finally makes it to their feet and look around. When they see that they are the only members of the Alpha pack still alive, they wisely decide to run away. The twins aren't a threat anymore because they will now have to fend off _**all**_ the werewolves that the Alpha Pack attacked or pissed off over the years, seeking revenge against them. _Those survivors will hunt down the twins for vengeance and justice when they discover how vulnerable and unprotected they now are._

Stiles holds his throbbing head as Zerk wraps himself around Stiles, protectively.

The damage to Zerk's wing and back are already healed. When he's satisfied that Stiles is okay, he shifts into a large black panther.

Death smiles from the treetops. He's satisfied that everything went according to plan. He plans on making his move on Stiles the next time Stiles travels through shadows to take care of Peter. _Sunset. Stiles will travel at sunset._ He dematerializes as he disappears.

Sawyer helps Stiles up as the strange Alpha slinks up to Stiles, slow and cautious.

Zerk says, "I think he wants to protect you. He's feral, so he won't be able to shift back to human until he finds his humanity again."

Stiles nods. _That thing is fucking huge!_

Sawyer tries to touch the feral but it snarls and bares its bloody fangs with a menacing growl.

Stiles looks at Sawyer as the unknown Alpha gently noses at his side.

It then licks Stiles' face and hands.

Stiles asks Zerk and Sawyer, "What do I do with him? He's fucking huge and after killing Deucalion, he's one hell of a powerful Alpha. I think he actually got larger, _much larger,_ after he took Deucalion's Alpha power."

_The witches are still healing the survivors as Stiles figures out what to do with the Alpha. They then light a bonfire and burn the dead Alphas as they use magick to clean up the mess so as not to attract any hunters to the area._

Stiles sits against the tree with Zerk and the feral at his side as Sawyer, Lenny, and Robert make a quick lean-to for Rick's body.

The werewolves say a few words over Rick's body and pray to the moon for him to rest in peace. They then burn his body. Their pack members don't have families and don't dare let humans examine his body.

Sawyer and his pack walk back to where Stiles sits because he is too weak to stand up. 

Sawyer leans closer to the feral Alpha for a closer look, but it snarls and growls at him before returning its attention back to Stiles. Sawyer backs up and holds his hands up in surrender. "Um. He's feral. Ferals kill humans. However, he has some sort of attachment to you. Maybe you can keep him and somehow get his humanity back. Maybe you can remind him what it's like to be sane or someone will have to put him down. _That's what you do with ferals_. Put them down."

The feral Alpha tries to curl up in Stiles' lap like a little house cat or puppy.

Stiles protests, holding up his hands and saying, "Hey, hey, hey! _You are not a puppy!_ You aren't going to fit in my lap! _**I**_ can fit in your lap but _**you can't**_ fit in mine. You're too big, you, overgrown puppy!"

The feral snorts and grumps as it sits on its haunches in front of Stiles.

As the last of the mess is cleaned up, the witches shake Stiles' hand and leave.

Sawyer scratches his head as he thinks. "Is that a locket around _it's_ , sorry, _**his**_ neck?"

Stiles looks closer at the humongous feral Alpha's neck. He grabs the amulet and pulls it off the feral Alpha. "This looks like my mother's locket."

The feral licks Stiles face. _Kisses and licks aren't the same things since the amulet didn't open._

Stiles tries to open the amulet. "Huh?! It won't open." He examines it closer. _He's not totally sure it's his mom's._ It wasn't a unique locket and there could be thousands of lockets like this floating around out there. He'll ask his dad to look in his room for the locket after he gets some sleep. _There **was** a break-in at dad's house a few days ago._ He looks at the conscious surviving werewolves around him. "Do you think there's any way he could have broken into my dad's Beacon Hills' house and computer, stole my mother's locket, and then ran cross-country to me, here?"

They shake their heads. "He's too feral to have been using a computer a few days ago. How would he find you here? You randomly travel to unknown locations and _are,_ or were, on a job."

Lenny whispers, "unless Shade is his mate? He could find him then."

Stiles shakes his head. "Yeah. That was a stupid idea. What do I do with this feral? This big guy can't be around people. He's too aggressive. Where can I bring this..." He gestures wildly as he tries to figure this out. He smiles as he gets an idea. "...the Ancient! I'll take him to the Ancient Druid. We can stay with the Ancient. In the middle of nowhere. In North Dakota."

Sawyer nods. "Good idea. We will visit you to see how things are going with that..." he points at the feral.

Stiles moves to his feet and wobbles a little. "Woah! Now I really know I used too much magick in that fight. Help me get back to your place. I need to rest."

Sawyer looks at the feral drenched in blood. "That thing isn't going into my house looking like that. Let's get him cleaned up in the stream. A wet dog I can handle, not a bloody dog."

Stiles cocks him a glare as he mutters "...wet dog?" Werewolves making dog jokes. What next?

Sawyer shrugs and then he and Lenny each put one of Stiles arms over their shoulders and let him sag on them as they go to the stream to clean up. Then they head to the house. 

Zerk and the mystery Alpha follow close at Stiles' heels.

In the spare room, Stiles drops into bed and is asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

Zerk assumes his house cat form and curls up on the pillow next to Stiles' head.

The strange Alpha clambers onto the full-size bed and there is a loud creak and then a thump as the legs break as the bed drops to the floor. 

Sawyer and Lenny rush to the door. "Shade!"

Lenny falls to the floor laughing at the chagrined-faced feral lying on top of a protesting Stiles.

Stiles pushes the big mound of fur off of him enough to raise a thumb up to indicate he's okay at a slack-jawed Sawyer and a red-faced Lenny, that's still laughing so hard that he can barely breathe. Stiles grumbles, "you're not a tiny chihuahua. Either sleep on the floor or on the foot of the bed."

The feral shakes it's head and wraps it's powerful arms around Stiles' body as it shakes its massive head.

Stiles takes a deep breath and inches onto his side so he has enough room in the bed and goes back to sleep. He grumbles, "overgrown puppy." When he sees Zerk quietly laughing he bites his lower lip. "Stop enjoying this, you traitor!"

Zerk shakes his head and says, "I'm not." When the feral pulls Stiles closer to him so he can get a better grip to spoon him, Zerk cat-smiles. "Okay, maybe a little."

Stiles gives him a side-eyed glare.

Zerk shrugs. "Maybe a lot." He lays his head down and closes his eyes.

The feral happily tucks his nose into Stiles' neck and goes to sleep also. Wrapping its body around Stiles and half on him.

 _Who needs quilts?_ Stiles gives up and goes back to sleep.

Sawyer and Lenny then go out and retrieve the barely conscious Robert and bring him to the guest room so he can rest and heal.

Sawyer looks at his watch. "Jesus! It's only 8 am. It feels like it should be later than that." He drops down onto the couch and closes his eyes. "Rest sounds good right now. He falls asleep on the couch, not even bothering to go to his room."


	13. Werewolf Courtship Explained

**Forks, Washington**

**May 1st, 2011**

****

Stiles wakes up at around 4 pm. He rolls over and realizes he's alone in the bed. _The Feral?! Where's the Feral?!_

Zerk gives a small protesting grunt when Stiles jumps out of bed and bumps the pillow he is curled on.

Stiles runs into the living room and about knocks Sawyer over as they collide. "Sorry. Sorry. Where's the Feral?"

Sawyer frowns and leads the way to the back door.

The feral is sitting there. Outside. Staring at the door with a large heart lying between its front feet and a dead deer about twenty feet behind him. Sawyer points at the bloody mess and says, "I will not have that thing getting blood all over my house."

Stiles looks at the heart and then at the dead deer with a torn open chest cavity and a broken neck. He then looks back at Sawyer. "What the bloody hell?"

Lenny steps out of the kitchen as he takes a bite out of his green apple. ** _"Werewolf 101._** When werewolves court their partner or mate, no matter the species, we show that we can provide for our mate. If you _**take**_ that heart, you _**accept**_ his advances and it's _**okay**_ for him to _**court**_ you."

Sawyer nods. "He would need to prove that he can protect you. He did that by killing Deucalion. Also that he can provide for you, hence stalking and killing the deer and then offering you its heart."

Robert nods. "When you date a werewolf, _do not ever eat anything from the werewolf's hand **unless** _you want to commit to more than dating. How we behave to get you to take the food from our hand lets you know how protective, possessive, dominant, whiny, controlling, needy, and about everything else you need to know about their personality before you make the commitment by eating from their hand. It's even more of a statement if the werewolf is the one that prepared the food that they offer you."

Stiles looks at the pack. "That's why you put the fruit on a plate on the table before you gave it to me. You were avoiding courtship rituals."

Lenny nods.

Stile nods. "I take it that werewolves have human mates. Can the human feel that they are the werewolf's mate or is it a one-way street?"

Sawyer leans against the door jamb as he says, "humans can sense that the relationship with the werewolf feels so right that it hurts, especially if the human tries to pull back. You would feel drawn to the werewolf, even if you know you shouldn't. You would dream about the mate and feel jumpy or agitated when you aren't with your mate, and then depressed when separated from them. The longer the separation, the deeper the depression, until suicide feels like your only option. Werewolf Mates that get separated go feral. If one of the mates die, the other will soon follow from a broken heart or by their own hand. The depressive cycle that causes it can't be stopped."

Stiles flashes on blue eyes and then remembers how he keeps dreaming of a man in the shadow in his dreams and the blue winter sky. "Sawyer. Can you see if he has blue eyes when his eyes aren't red?"

Sawyer looks at Stiles. Realizing that Stiles already met his mate in human form.

Lenny does a confused half turn of his head. "You think you may have met him before and he identified you as his mate and then... He escaped from somewhere and came back to find you, but went feral in the process."

Stiles shrugs. "I don't know. I... I keep... I've been dreaming about a shadowy man with blue eyes. I don't remember if I ever met him as a man, but those blue eyes haunt my dreams." He looks at the feral waiting with the heart near its paw with a desparate look on its scruffy face.

He's patiently waiting for Stiles' decision.

Stiles looks at Sawyer. "What happens if I accept that heart and what happens if I don't?"

Lenny says, "refusing the heart refuses him. He could either keep trying or leave. It depends on how certain he is that you are his mate."

Sawyer says, "accepting the heart means that you accept that he can provide for you and he will continue to court you. It also ramps up his possessiveness because that says you belong to him, or the possibility is there, and he'll possessively keep any other male or rival away from you. He'll desperately ensure you always have his scent on you to keep other werewolves away from you." Sawyer squats down and looks intently at the Alpha. "I know you're an Alpha. Can you show me your eyes without the Alpha red in them?"

Stiles shakes his head. He could have done that. He meant for Sawyer to do some Alpha thing to get the Alpha to show him. Well, this feral now has Deucalion's Alpha powers and may be too strong for Sawyer to do anything like the Alpha in Beacon Hills did to Scott.

The feral stares at Sawyer a moment, but nothing happens.

Sawyer stands and shakes his head. "He's too far gone to show me. _**You**_ have to decide if you want to accept his proof of courtship."

Stiles takes a deep breath and then makes a decision. He steps forward to the Feral. "Thanks for the heart, big guy. I'm human and don't eat hearts. Can I accept the deer for food instead of the heart? You're still providing for me. Food though. I'm kind of hungry."

The feral looks back and forth between the deer and the heart. He leaves the heart and jogs over to the deer. He bites into the shoulder and uses his grip on its shoulder to drag it to Stiles.

Stiles smiles at him and uses his knife to cut off some of the meat. "I'm going to cook this if you don't mind. Want some?"

The feral looks at the deer and back at Stiles with a wolfish grin. He goes to work eating one of the back legs while Stiles goes inside to cook the meat into a deer burger.

Stiles and Sawyer's pack dress the rest of the deer, after promising the feral that they are doing it for Stiles because they know more about preparing meat than he does, and they all eat lots of deer burgers.

The Feral finished off the rest of the deer because he seemed half-starved. He even broke the bones and sucked out the marrow. They guess that he hasn't eaten in weeks if not months by how much he ate and how ravenous he acted while eating.

Sawyer and his pack teach Stiles all about the little things that werewolves do to show friendship, ownership, companionship, courtship, and mating. _All of the things he can remember Scott doing with Allison but never thought anything about it._ They explain that werewolf actions almost exclusively revolve around scent. They mark their territory and their pack with their scent. They have mating bites and rituals that are more iron-clad than human marriages. Werewolf packs rarely have females. There is an Alpha and an Alpha mate. If there are more than one female, only the Alpha female is allowed to reproduce with the Alpha or someone the Alpha picks if he has chosen a male as his mate. Once the Alpha female is mated, all the other werewolves are primarily gay. Even if they don't identify as gay, they will mate with males so that only the female Alpha is reproducing.

Stiles whistles softly. "I remember seeing something like that on National Geographic about wolf packs, but I didn't think it was real." He thinks a minute and then blushes as he asks, "what about knots. I remember that wolves have knots on their dicks to ensure that the female gets pregnant by holding the sperm inside the female for half an hour after mating."

Sawyer laughs. "Yes and no. We don't have growths that swell up after sex, but we can control if our penis stays hard after sex for the same reason. We generally don't do that because it's uncomfortable to stay buried in our partner and still hard, connecting us to our sex partner for half an hour after orgasm. Going to the bathroom would suck."

Lenny says, "and we really like the smell of our mates under their chin and behind their ear. Our pack members we just touch their backs, shoulders, and arms a lot. Oh! And mates really get off on having their mate wear their clothes. The smell of them wearing something with our scent really does it for it us. _Instant arousal!_ I'm telling you that works for people we are dating as well."

Stiles blushes and ducks his head as he rubs the back of his neck. "Thanks for telling me all of this."

**6 pm**

Stiles calls his dad. They talk for a while and then Stiles asks, "dad? Can you check something for me?"

John cocks his head as he says, "sure. What do you need, son?"

Stiles takes a deep breath. "In my room. In the bedside table. I have a hardback book. Treasure Island. Can you grab that and see if there is anything in it, please?"

John walks down the hall to Stiles' room. He looks in the drawer and finds the book. He opens the book and whistles. "Wow, son. I had no idea you squirreled this stuff away."

Stiles asks, "what's in there, dad? I'm looking for something particular."

John takes the items out. "My old badge from when I was a Deputy. My Masonic ring from when I was an active Mason. Your mother's engagement ring. The crucifix I gave you on your thirteenth birthday. A Silver Sixpence. And..." he unfolds a piece of paper. "A newspaper clipping announcing your birth in the newspaper."

Stiles frowns. "No locket? Mom's locket with my picture in it isn't in there?"

John shakes his head. "No, son." He puts the items back in the book and the book back in the drawer. "Why do you ask, son?"

Stiles scratches his head as he leans back against the door jamb. "Long story short. A feral werewolf saved my life and won't let anyone get close to me. My werewolf friend says the feral indicated that he sees himself as my mate. Mate separation _**can**_ cause werewolves to go feral. This wolf was wearing an amulet that looks just like mom's. I can't open it to verify it, so I was seeing if mom's amulet is still where I left it. I wasn't sure, but after the break-in that you told me about... I figured it's possible that it's missing."

John runs his hand through his hair. "Now, hold on son. Is this feral dangerous? That's a stupid question. If he's feral, he's dangerous. Are you okay? Has he hurt you?"

Stiles shakes his head and laughs softly. "Not unless you consider that he thinks he's a puppy and keeps trying to sit in my lap and such. It's like he doesn't realize how large he is. He won't hurt me, dad. He killed an Alpha to protect me, meaning he took in that Alpha's power. I'm taking him to the Ancient Druid I learned magick from so we can get him sane again."

John nods. "You be careful son. It will kill me if you die on me."

Stiles smiles. "Will do, dad. I'll be careful. You take care of yourself, dad."

They talk for a few more minutes before disconnecting.


	14. Death's Deal

**Sunset 8:30 pm**

**May 1st, 2011**

Stiles packs his bag and fastens it to its spot on his motorcycle. He then says his goodbyes to Sawyer's pack and shakes their hands.

Sawyer pulls him into a quick hug and quickly let go when the feral growls at him, jealously. "How are you going to get him there? Make him run the whole way?"

Stiles shakes his head. "Now that the sun has set, the path between here and there is shrouded in darkness. I can make a doorway in shadows connecting here to there. It will be easier to take him with me if he really is my mate it won't take any extra energy because of that bond. Otherwise, it will take more energy than I want to use, but it's still do-able."

Zerk curls himself around the back of Stiles' neck and shoulders.

Stiles takes a deep breath as he stands next to his bike. He lays one hand on the beast and one on the bike. He then relaxes and opens the Shadow Doorway. He doesn't move into the doorway, he moves the doorway around himself so that he stays still as the world moves around him.

He's now standing in the shadow realm about a hundred yards from the Ancient's house.

Before he can take a step or move back into the real world a man appears before him with dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark nature. Not evil, per se, but not good either. He doesn't feel alive and he doesn't feel dead. He just is. The man lets his eyes glow red for a moment to show his Alpha powers.

He matches the description added to his mother's journal of Death.

Stiles cocks his head to the side. "Death. I was wondering when you were going to quit watching me and show yourself."

Death scoffingly laughs. "I'm not the one that has been watching you. That was your mate there. He insisted on staying close to you as he worked to do what I requested in order to get his life back. His payment has been met and now he's alive once more."

Stiles looks at the feral as it places himself between Death and Stiles, protectively.

He's not growling or attacking Death, but at the same time, he's not letting Death any closer.

Stiles looks at Death and cocks his head. "I suppose that you're here to offer me some sort of bargain to help this feral regain his humanity and sanity? My... mate?"

Death steps forward and smiles. "You understand so quickly. Yes. He's your mate and he's well aware of that fact. Yes. I'm offering you a deal to restore his humanity. He's so feral that it would take years to help him regain his humanity and his sanity. I offer you a chance to help him reclaim it on the full moon."

Stiles nods as he strokes Zerk's tail as he thinks things over. "The seventeenth. What kind of bargain do you offer, Death?" He knows from his research that using Death's name doesn't outright weaken him but it puts you on more of an equal footing with the creature known as Death.

Death lifts his head a little higher at his name having been used a second time. Stiles is not going to be tricked as easily as he thought. "Simple. I need someone that can cast life magick for me. Someone that can use life, grow things impossible, travel through shadows, and can even take another into the shadows with them. I also need one of witch blood that can scry and make potions. Most druids and witches avoid anything having to do with shadows. They think shadow is the same as evil. It is not."

Stiles gives a half-smile. "Why would I do all of that for you when I'm pretty sure that given time I can tame the feral back to human? I can cure him myself. It will take me a lot longer, but I can still cure him."

Death steps around him and the beast as he talks. "True. I would think you would want to help your... mate... become human again, in sixteen days instead of several years. I mean, he came to me, begging to bargain so he could return to the living so he can be with you. To protect you and be with you. He was terrified that mate separation would kill you, and it would have, if you hadn't figured out that if you forgot you ever met him, that you wouldn't know you have a mate and fall into mate separation. That's what's in that locket. Your memories of your mate. I can't tell you how to open it. You will have to figure that out. He obviously loves you a great deal. I would assume you would want to do the same for him as he has done for you."

Stiles thinks for a few minutes. "What's his name?"

Death shakes his head. "I can't tell you that until after we make our bargain. Mate separation does cause death, even when the werewolf's mate is a human."

Stiles pets the feral's head as he thinks about everything. _He remembers Derek asking Stiles about seeing him kill his uncle. **Uncle Peter.** _An Alpha. Peter. This is Peter. Death isn't evil. He's not good either. He's a creature of Chaos. He's neutral. Stiles looks at him. "Death? What did he do to get his life back?"

Death scoffs. "He killed Gerard and Kate Argent and the necromancer that brought them back to life."

Stiles smiles. _Gerard and Kate are dead. Good._ They were evil and killed so many innocent people. He thinks. How can he limit what Death can ask of him for this bargain? He takes a deep breath. "I can agree to an Alliance, but I won't agree to be a henchman or killer. _I won't give you toxins or poisons to kill people."_

Death clenches his jaw. He steps closer. "What if I target a killer like Gerard or Hitler?"

Stiles smiles. "An ally would convince me that they want my aid is for a good cause or isn't going to kill innocent people. An ally would give me the evidence to show the death is deserved."

Death smiles. "Allies then. I can work with allies." He holds his hand out. "A handshake to seal the deal."

Stiles shakes his hand as Peter growls at the contact. "Now. How do I cure him?"

Death smiles and holds up his hand. A dark flame rises up and conjures up a blue glass bottle. "Simple. On the full moon, get him to drink this. It will force him into a human form for three hours. Then let him claim you as his mate. The mating bond will anchor his sanity once more. Once he's sane he can choose what form he wants. I'm sure he'll choose human so he can be with you."

Stiles balks. _Sex with a feral werewolf, even if he's human sounds... well... dangerous. Stiles is still a virgin. Both ways. Giving and receiving._ "Um. He's feral. How would he know that's what he has to do, even if he is in human form at the time?"

Death gives Stiles a half-smile. "I'm sure that a handsome young man like you won't have any problem seducing **_your mate,_** who loves you more than life itself, into bed."

Stiles blushes as he quietly says, "I'm a virgin. I've never even kissed anyone. I'm not exactly a vixen and don't know anything about seducing."

Death laughs, but not in a mean way. "He's possessive and arrogant. The thought that _**he** would be your firs_t at anything will get him to eagerly do everything. Just tell him you've never even kissed before and he will be all over you."

Stiles takes the bottle and looks at the feral. "Well. That should be interesting. Looks like I'm getting werewolf married on the full moon. Don't make me regret this, Wolfy. Wait!" He looks back at Death. "He's an Alpha. Doesn't his bite turn people into werewolves?"

Death smiles and sarcastically says. "Um, yes. It does. Do you have a problem with joining the Superman Team?"

Stiles looks back at the feral. "Mates. Um, I guess not. I just wanted to clarify. I'm so not telling anyone when it happens though." He looks back to Death, only he's gone.

He looks back at the feral. "Come along, Peter. Let's get you sane again."

The feral's eyes go wide when his mate calls his name. He stiffens and comes to attention. He mews and then comes to him.

Stiles smiles. "I figured it out from something Derek said and how Zerk acted when he asked me about seeing you die. Death said you were dead for the last few months. Well, not in so many words. I figured it out from the clues."

He sighs and brings them into the real world. He turns to his familiar. "Zerk? Do you know what is required to open the locket so I remember everything I've forgotten about Peter?"

Zerk nods. "I had to keep you from those memories to protect you. Separated mates die." He looks at the Ancient's farmhouse and then back at Stiles. "Someone has to kiss you because they need you for you and not what you can do for them, even if it's on the cheek."

Stiles lowers his head as he self consciously scratches at his chin while he thinks. "Zerk? You need me for me and not what I can do for you. Could you kiss my cheek and see if that works?"

Zerk nods. "When you get your memories back... Your memories were separated from you when you didn't know about him or his reasonings for protecting his mate. Now you know, so those memories will feel different and you will see them differently because of what you know now. How you perceived him will be altered to the fact that you now know he's your mate and your protection was one of his primary goals."

Stiles nods and braces himself.

Zerk leans over, shifts to his wrathy form, and kisses Stiles' cheek.

The locket opens and Stiles is hit by a sudden sense of vertigo as all of those memories hit him. Shit! He was expecting one memory. Not months of memories. Damn!

Zerk was right. The feelings behind each memory changed. Even his memory of running from the feral in the school that night changed. Now he wonders, from the way that Scott wasn't totally truthful with him if the feral had told Scott to kill Lydia, Jax, and Allison and to bring Stiles to him or if he planned on taking Stiles away why Scott killed them.

He locks in on when he met Peter in the hospital, he no longer feels fear at that moment, he feels connection, realization, longing, and he senses that Peter doesn't want him involved in the deaths or investigations because he wants Stiles safe. When Peter bit Lydia he now detects Peter's jealousy that he was with Lydia and not intimidation. _**All** of his memories are skewed by his knowledge that Peter is his mate and **how protective** he is of Stiles._ He no longer sees Peter as the bad guy. _He's now the slightly insane and injured man seeking justice and vengeance from people that were outside the law._

Vigilante. That makes Peter a vigilante. Maybe killing wasn't right, but he only killed killers that killed innocent children in horrible ways.

Stiles stumbles but is steadied by the bulk of Peter's body keeping him from collapsing as Zerk grabs his arm to keep him from falling to the ground or his knees. "Jesus! Now I know why you wouldn't let Derek say anything about Peter." he rests his forehead against Zerk as he catches his breath and regains his equilibrium. "I'm okay."

He takes a deep breath and stands up straight. Let's go talk with the Ancient and figure out what to do."

They walk up to the Ancient's door and Stiles knocks.

The Ancient opens the door and drops his jaw in shock. "Stiles?" He hugs the teen and steps back when he hears a growl. He looks at the others with Stiles. "You have a wildling familiar. I'm impressed. _**And what is that?"**_

Stiles frowns and says, "long story short. This is my mate, a feral werewolf that came back from the dead to be with me. I made a deal with Death to help him. Can we come in and talk?"

The Ancient steps back and ushers them in and closes the door behind them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch for the next arc of the story... Shades of Peter.

**Author's Note:**

> I plan on posting the 14 chapters of this stories on a weekly basis. Every Tuesday.


End file.
